A Different Story
by Zoe2021
Summary: What if Katy was part human part Luxen from the start? How would things change? What happens when her neighbors find out her secret? How will they react? (RATED M BECAUSE I'M PARANOID)
1. The New Move

I stared at the pile of boxes in my new bedroom, wishing the Internet had been hooked up. Not being able to do anything with my review blog since moving here was like missing an arm or a leg. According to my mom, "Katy's Krazy Obsession" was my whole life. Not entirely, but it was important to me. She had never gotten books the way I did.

I sighed. I'd been here two days, and there was still so much left to unpack. I hated the idea of boxes sitting around. Even more than I hated being here. But I had to get away, and this was the only place protected by the beta quartz that was nearby.

This house looked like something straight out of a horror movie. It even had a turret—a freaking turret. What was I supposed to do with that?

Ketterman was unincorporated, meaning it wasn't a real town. The closest place was Petersburg—a two or three stoplight town near a few other towns that probably didn't have a Starbucks. We wouldn't get mail at our house. We would have to drive into Petersburg to get our mail.

Barbaric.

I decided to ignore my inner compulsive streak and let the boxes be damned today. Instead, I decided to go train.

I'm no normal teenage girl, in fact, I'm far from it. Luxen are traditionally born in threes. Well, my mom was a hybrid(she had one luxen parent and one human parent), and when she gave birth, there were naturally three of us. Now normally, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but instead of turning out as origins, my sisters were completely human. In fact, there was nothing different them(except for their obviously alien parents).

But me, I was more human than luxen, meaning if another luxen were to use their power around me, I would still get a trace like humans, and it is natural for me to walk slowly like humans instead of fast like luxen. I was so human, that nobody realized that I was part luxen until I was one and a half.

But the luxen part of me is one of the strongest luxens there are in existence. I could use my power for hours without tiring, and I'm able to do greater things with my power. I guess I inherited my mom's human genes and both genes for luxen to make my power so great.

Now, you might be wondering where exactly are my parents and twin sisters? Well, my father had died from eight arum attacking him at once, which also caused my mom to die since they were bonded. Lily was the one who looked exactly like me, but she went missing around eight months before my parents died. Me and my other sister, Bethany, who is my polar opposite, stayed in Florida for a few years, but eventually she left saying that she couldn't stand being in the place where mom and dad had died. I never found out where she went, but I haven't heard from her in over a year. She used to call me every week, but just over a year ago, the calls stopped.

I'm pretty sure I would have felt something if she had died because we're twins and all, but I'm not completely sure. I've just held onto the hope that she is still alive.

In my old group of friends in Florida, I wasn't the quiet one, but I never skipped class, maintained a 4.0, and was pretty much a good girl. Not because I was afraid to do anything reckless or wild; I just didn't want to add to Mom's troubles.

She died two years ago, and only a month afterwards, Bethany had moved out. Now, I was 18, and I finally decided to move. There was nothing left for me in Florida, and I needed to move on.

Even though I am probably the most powerful luxen, I never want to die how mom and dad did. So I train. Plus, it helps to work off a trace if I get one.

I'm a black belt in karate, and an expert at many other styles of fighting. Mainly, I use my skills to defend myself against arum, but sometimes if I see somebody else in trouble, i'll defend them too. The only risky part about that is if they see my powers by accident. It's never happened before, but I'm constantly worried about it.

I was just about to go down in the basement to train, when I remembered that I needed to go to the grocery store, and a place where I could get plants to fix the flower bed out front.

The only problem was, I didn't know where the store was. Heck, I wasn't even sure if there was a store. It was like I was living off the grid.

I bit my lip. I could hear my dad's voice, his favorite phrase encouraging me, "Come on, Kitty Cat, don't be a bystander." I squared my shoulders. Dad had never let life pass him by…

I wasn't really the best at meeting new people so this was a big step for me. I was always so shy... except of course when I got angry, ... or annoyed, ... or -you get the point

And asking about the nearest store was an innocent-enough reason to introduce myself to my neighbors. Maybe this wouldn't turn out to be such an epic fail of a move. This was stupid, but I was doing it. I hurried across the lawn and across the driveway before I chickened out.

Hopping onto the wide porch, I opened the screen door and knocked, then stepped back and smoothed the wrinkles out of my shirt. I'm cool. I got this. There is nothing weird about asking for directions.

Heavy footsteps came from the other side, and then the door was swinging open and I was staring at a very broad, tan, well-muscled chest. A naked chest. Jeans hung low on his hips, revealing a thin line of dark hair that formed below his navel and disappeared under the band of the jeans.

His stomach was ripped. Perfect. Totally touchable. Not the kind of stomach I expected on a seventeen-year-old boy, which is how old I suspected he was.

My gaze finally traveling north again, I noted thick, sooty lashes fanning the tips of his high cheeks and hiding the color of his eyes as he stared at me.

HIs eyes scanned my body, as I stood there. I was used to guys staring at me. Back in Florida, guys stared at me all the time. But this was a different kind of staring. This guy was staring at me like he was memorizing every detail of my body. It was kind of unnerving.

My mom used to say that I had a great body, but I never really believed her. I had long, dark, wavy hair and a tan body with really long legs. I think that they make me look like a giant, but mom always disagreed.

"Um hi."

"Can I help you?" He asked, his lips turned down in annoyance.

His voice was deep and firm. The kind of voice accustomed to people listening and obeying without question. His lashes lifted, revealing eyes so green and brilliant they couldn't be real. They were an intense emerald color that stood out in vibrant contrast against his tan skin.

"Um..." I froze, momentarily forgetting what I needed to ask.

"Hello?" he said again, placing one hand on the doorframe as he leaned forward. "Are you capable of speaking?"

The boy lifted an arm, brushing back a wavy lock of hair on his forehead. He glanced over my shoulder, then back to me. "Going once…"

By the time I found my voice, I wanted to die. "I was wondering if you knew where the closest grocery store is. My name is Katy. I moved next door." I gestured at my house, rambling like an idiot. "Like two days ago—"

"I know."

Ooooo-kay. "Well, I was hoping someone would know the quickest way to the grocery store and maybe a place that sold plants."

"Plants?"

"Yeah, see, there's this flower bed in front—"

He said nothing, just cocked a brow with disdain. "Okay."

The embarrassment was fading, replaced by a growing surge of anger. "Well, see, I need to go buy plants—"

"For the flower bed. I got that." He leaned his hip against the doorframe and crossed his arms. Something glittered in his green eyes. Not anger, but something else.

I took a deep breath. If this dude cut me off one more time…My voice took on the tone my mother used when I was younger and was playing with sharp objects. "I'd like to find a store where I can buy groceries and plants."

"You are aware this town has only one stoplight, right?" Both eyebrows were raised to his hairline now as if he were questioning how I could be so dumb, and that's when I realized what I saw sparkling in his eyes. He was laughing at me with a healthy dose of condescension.

For a moment, all I could do was stare at him. He was probably the hottest guy in this tiny town, and he was a total douche. Go figure. "You know, all I wanted was directions. This is obviously a bad time," I exclaimed throwing my arms up. One side of his lips curled up. "Anytime is a bad time for you to come knocking on my door, kid."

A dark, mocking eyebrow arched again. I was starting to hate that brow.

"I'm not a kid. I'm eighteen."

"Is that so?" He blinked. "You look like you're twelve. No. Maybe thirteen, but my sister has this doll that kinda reminds me of you. All big-eyed and vacant."

I reminded him of a doll? A vacant doll? I was seriously going to pummel this dude if he didn't shut up soon. "Are going to tell me where it is or not?" Because honestly, I sorta wanted to punch him in the face right about now...

He just laughed.

I started to turn, clenching my fists into tight balls at my sides, leaving before I caved to the rampant desire to slam my fists into his face. Or worse.

"Hey," he called out.

I stopped on the bottom step but refused to turn around. "What?"

"You get on Route 2 and turn onto U.S. 220 North, not South. Takes you into Petersburg." He let out an irritated breath, as if he were doing me a huge favor. "The Foodland is right in town. You can't miss it. Well, maybe you could. There's a hardware store next door, I think. They should have things that go in the ground."

"Thanks," I muttered and added under my breath, "Douchebag."

He laughed, deep and throaty. "Now that's not very ladylike, Kittycat."

I whipped around. "Don't ever call me that," I snapped.

"It's better than calling someone a douchebag, isn't it?" He pushed out the door. "This has been a stimulating visit. I'll cherish it for a long time to come."

Okay. That was it. "You know, you're right. How wrong of me to call you a douchebag. Because a douchebag is too nice of a word for you," I said, smiling sweetly. "You're a dickhead."

"A dickhead?" he repeated. "How charming."

I flipped him off..

He laughed again and bent his head. A mess of waves fell forward, nearly obscuring his intense green eyes. "Very civilized, Kitten. I'm sure you have a wild array of interesting names and gestures for me, but I'm not interested." I did have a lot more I could say and do, but I gathered my dignity, pivoted, and stomped back over to my house, not giving him the pleasure of seeing how truly pissed I was. I'd always avoided confrontation in the past, but this guy was flipping my bitch switch like nothing else. When I reached my car, I yanked open the door.

"See you later, Kitten!" he called out, laughing as he slammed the front door.

I shoved the keys into the ignition and threw the car into reverse. 'Make an effort,' Mom had always said. That's what happens when you make an effort.


	2. Meeting The Neighbors

Chapter 2

It took the entire drive into Petersburg for me to calm down. Even then there was still a hot mix of anger and annoyance swirling inside me. What the heck was wrong with him? I thought people in small towns were supposed to be nice, not act like the son of Satan.

I found Main Street with no problem, which literally seemed to be the main street. There was the Grant County Library on Mount View, and I reminded myself I needed to get a library card. Grocery store options were limited. Foodland, which actually read FOO LAND, brought to you by the missing letter D, was where Douchebag had said it would be.

The front windows were plastered with a missing person's picture of a faded girl. The data below said she'd last been seen over a year ago. There was a reward, but after she'd been missing for that long, I doubted the reward would ever be claimed. Saddened by that thought, I headed inside.

I was a speed shopper, wasting no time strolling aisles. Throwing items into the cart, I realized I'd need more than I thought since we only had the bare necessities at home. Soon, my cart was filled to the rim.

"Katy?"

Lost in thought, I jumped at the soft female voice and dropped a carton of eggs on the floor. "Crap."

"Oh! I am so sorry! I startled you. I do that a lot." Tan arms shot out and she picked up the carton and placed it back on the shelf. She grabbed another one and held it in her slender hands. "These won't be cracked." I lifted my gaze from the egg carnage slowly oozing bright yolks all over the linoleum floor and was momentarily stunned. This girl was a luxen.

She stood out like a sunflower in a field of wheat.

Everyone else was a pale comparison. Her dark hair was curly and longer than mine, reaching her waist. She was tall, thin, and her almost perfect features held a certain innocence. She reminded me of someone, especially those startling green eyes. I gritted my teeth. What were the odds?

She grinned. "I'm Daemon's sister. My name is Dee." She placed the undamaged carton of eggs in my cart. "New eggs!" She smiled.

"Daemon?"

Dee gestured at a hot-pink purse in the front of her cart. A cell phone was lying on top of it. "You talked to him about thirty minutes ago. You stopped by…asking for directions?"

So the dickhead had a name. Daemon—seemed fitting. And of course his sister would be as attractive as him. Why not? Welcome to West Virginia, the land of lost models. I was starting to doubt I was going to fit in here. And he was a luxen too. Just fantastic. "Sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to call out my name." I paused. "He called you?"

"Yeah." She deftly pulled her cart out of the way of a toddler running amok through the narrow aisle. "Anyway, I saw you move in, and I've been meaning to stop by, and when he said you were here, well, I was so excited to meet you I ran over. He told me what you looked like." I could only imagine that description.

Curiosity filled her face as she watched me with her intense green eyes. "Although, you don't look anything like he said, but anyway, I'd know who you were. It's hard not to know pretty much everyone's face around here." I watched a grubby little kid climb up the bread rack. "I don't think your brother likes me."

Her brows furrowed. "What?"

"Your brother—I don't think he likes me." I turned back to the cart, fiddling with a package of meat. "He wasn't very…helpful. Actually, quite the opposite."

"Oh no," she said and then laughed. I looked at her sharply. "I'm sorry. My brother is moody."

No shit. "I'm pretty sure that was more than being moody."

She shook her head. "He was having a bad day. He's worse than a girl, trust me. He doesn't hate you. We're twins. Even I want to kill him on days that end with a Y. Anyway, Daemon's kind of rough around the edges. He doesn't get along with…people." I laughed. "You think?"I knew what she meant, he didn't get along with _humans._ I got that and all, but still, he could have given me a chance. I mean geez, are humans really so bad?

"Well, I'm glad I ran into you here!" she exclaimed, changing the subject yet again. "I wasn't sure if I would've been bothering you if I popped over, with you getting settled in and all."

"No, it wouldn't have been a bother." I tried to keep up with the conversation. She went from one topic to the next like someone in bad need of Ritalin.

"You should've seen me when Daemon said you were our age. I almost ran home to hug him." She moved excitedly. "If I'd known he was going to be so rude to you, I would have been likely to punch him instead."

"I can imagine." I grinned. "I wanted to punch him, too." And possibly a whole lot more than that, but of course I didn't tell Dee that.

"Imagine being the only girl in the neighborhood and stuck with your annoying brother most of the time." She glanced over her shoulder, delicate brows creasing.

I followed her gaze. The little boy now had a carton of milk in each hand, which reminded me that I needed milk. "Be right back." I headed over to the refrigerated section.

Finally, the mother of the child had rounded the corner, yelling, "Timothy Roberts, you put that back right now! What are you—?"

The kid stuck out his tongue. Sometimes being around children was the perfect abstinence program. Then again, not like I needed a program. I carried my milk back to where Dee waited, staring at the floor. Her fingers twisted over the handle of her cart, squeezing until her knuckles bleached.

"Timothy, get right back here this instant!" The mother grabbed his chubby arm. Strands of hair had escaped her severe bun. "What did I tell you?" she hissed. "You don't go near them," her dark eyes filled with disgust. Pure revulsion, and behind that, in the way her lips pressed into a hard line and trembled, there was also fear.

And she was staring at Dee.

Then she gathered the squirmy boy into her arms and hurried off, leaving her cart in the middle of the aisle.

Dee smiled, but it was brittle. "Small town. The locals are weird around here. Don't pay any attention to them. Anyway, you must be so bored after unpacking and then grocery shopping. That's like two of the worst things ever. I mean, hell could be devised of those two things. Think of an eternity of unpacking boxes and grocery shopping?" I couldn't help grinning as I struggled to keep up with Dee's nonstop chatter while we finished loading our carts. Normally, someone like that would wear me out in five seconds, but the excitement in her eyes and the way she kept rocking back on her heels was sort of contagious.

"Do you have more stuff to get?" she asked. "I'm pretty much done. I really came to catch you and was sucked down the ice cream aisle. It calls to me."

I laughed and looked at my full cart. "Yeah, I hope I'm done."

"Come on then. We can check out together."

As we waited in the checkout aisle, Dee rattled on. She believed Petersburg needed another grocery store—because this one didn't carry organic food—and she wanted organic chicken for what she was making Daemon fix her for dinner. After a few minutes I got past the difficulty of keeping up with her and actually started to relax. She wasn't bubbly, just really… alive. I hoped she rubbed off on me.

The checkout line moved quicker than it did in larger cities. Once outside, she stopped next to a new Volkswagen and unlocked the trunk.

"Nice car," I commented. They had money, obviously, or Dee had a job.

"I love it." She patted the rear bumper. "It's my baby."

I shoved groceries in the back of my sedan.

"Katy?"

"Yeah?" I twirled the keys around my finger, hoping asshat brother aside, she wanted to hang out later. I could probably use some friends, and even though I've only known Dee for a few minutes, I felt like we had known eachother forever.

"I should apologize for my brother. Knowing him, I'm sure he wasn't very nice."

I sort of felt sorry for her, being that she was related to such a tool. "It's not your fault."

Her fingers twisted around her key ring, and her eyes drifted to mine. "He's really overprotective, so he doesn't take well to strangers." Yeah. Human strangers.

I almost smiled, but her eyes were wide and she looked genuinely scared I wouldn't forgive her. Having a brother like him must suck. "It's no big deal. Maybe he was just having a bad day." Yeah right.

"Maybe." She smiled, but it seemed forced.

"Seriously, no worries. We're good," I said.

"Thanks! I'm totally not a stalker. I swear." She winked. "But I'd love to hang out this afternoon. Got any plans?"

"Actually, I was thinking of tackling the overgrown flower bed in the front. You wanna help?" Having company might be fun. As long as Douchebag Dameon wasn't around.

"Oh, that sounds great. Let me get these groceries home, and I'll head straight over," she said. "I'm really excited to garden! I've never done that."

I knew that Luxen didn't live like normal humans, but I wasn't normal and I'd still gardened for half of my life. Before I could ask what sort of childhood didn't include at least the obligatory tomato plant, she'd dashed off to her car and zoomed out of the parking lot.

A little past one that afternoon, Dee knocked on the front door. When I stepped outside, I found her standing near the steps, rolling back on the heels of her wedge sandals. Not what I'd consider "gardening" attire. The sun cast a halo around her dark head and she had an impish grin on her face. In that moment, she reminded me of a fairy princess. Or maybe a cracked-out Tinkerbell, considering how hyper she was.

Dee grinned as she sat on the swing. She looked timid, hugging her elbows. "As soon as I came home with groceries, Daemon ate half a bag of my potato chips, two of my fudge pops, and then half of the peanut butter jar." I started laughing. "Wow. How does he stay so… fit?" I asked her, even though I already knew the answer. Luxen can eat tons of food without burning a single calorie.

"It's amazing." She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. "He eats so much we usually have to run two to three trips a week to the store." She looked at me with a sly glint in her eyes. "Of course, I can eat you out of house and home too. I guess I shouldn't be talking." I highly doubted that she could eat more than me, but it didn't really matter.

"We're lucky." Her easy grin seemed tighter. "Anyway, you must tell me all about Florida. Never been there."

I propped myself up on the porch railing. "Think nonstop shopping malls and parking lots. Oh, but the beaches. Yeah, it's worth it for the beaches." I loved the heat of the sun on my skin, my toes squishing in the wet sand.

"Wow," Dee said, her gaze darting next door as if she were waiting for someone. "It's going to take a lot for you to get used to living here. Adapting can be…hard when you're out of your element." I shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't seem that bad."

Dark clouds seemed to roll in out of nowhere, casting a shadow across the yard. Dee frowned. "Oh no! It looks like we're going to get one of our famous afternoon rainstorms. They usually last a couple of hours."

"That's too bad. I guess we better plan to garden tomorrow instead. Are you available?"

"Sure thing." Dee shivered in the suddenly chilly air.

"Wonder where this storm came from. It seemed to come out of nowhere, didn't it?" I asked. Probably some stupid luxen somewhere. Gotta go ruining my afternoon.

Dee jumped up from the swing, wiping her hands on her pants. "Looks that way. Well, I need to wake Daemon."

"Sleeping? That's a little late."

"He's weird," Dee said. "I'll be back tomorrow, and we can head to the garden shop."

Laughing, I slid off the rail. "Sounds good."

"Great!" She skipped down the steps and twirled around. "I'll tell Daemon you said hi!"

"Uh, that won't be necessary."

"Trust me, it is!" She laughed and then sprinted to the house next door. Joy.


	3. Gardening

The day my Internet was hooked up was better than having a hot guy check out my butt and ask for my phone number. Since it was Wednesday, I'd typed up a quick "Waiting on Wednesday" post for my blog featuring this YA book about a hot boy with a killer touch—can't go wrong there—apologized for my extended absence, responded to comments, and stalked a few other blogs I loved. It was like coming home.

I heard steps approaching the house and closed the lid of my laptop.

I skipped down the stairs, and Dee and I headed off to the hardware store, which wasn't anywhere near FOO LAND like Daemon had said. They had everything needed for me to fix that gross flower bed out front.

Back home, we each grabbed a side of a bag and hauled it out of my trunk. The bags were ridiculously heavy and by the time we'd gotten them out of the car, sweat poured off of us.

"Want to get something to drink before we drag those bags over to the flower beds?" I offered, arms aching. This would be so much easier if I could use my luxen strength.

She wiped her hands against each other and nodded. "I need to lift weights. Moving stuff sucks."

We headed inside and grabbed iced tea. "Remind me to join the local gym," I joked.

Dee laughed and twisted her sweat-soaked hair from her neck. She still looked gorgeous, even red-faced and tired. I'm sure I looked like a serial killer. "Umm. Ketterman. Our idea of a gym is dragging your garbage can to the end of a dirt road or hauling hay." I dug up a hair tie for her, joking about the uncoolness of my new small-town life. We'd only been inside ten minutes tops, but when we went back out, all the bags of soil and mulch were stacked next to the porch.

I glanced at her. "How did they get over here?"

Dropping down on her knees, she started pulling up the weeds. "Probably my brother."

"Daemon?"

She nodded. "He's always the thankless hero."

"Thankless hero," I muttered. Not likely. I'd sooner believe the bags levitated over here on their own.

Dee and I attacked the weeds with more energy than I thought we had. I've always felt pulling weeds was a great way to let off steam, and if Dee's jerky movements were any indication, she had a lot to be frustrated about. With a brother like hers, I wasn't surprised.

Later, Dee stared at her chipped nails. "Well, there went my manicure."

I grinned. "I told you, you should've gotten gloves."

"But you're not wearing any," she pointed out.

Lifting my dirt-stained hands, I winced. My nails were usually chipped. "Yeah, but I'm used to it."

Dee shrugged and went over and grabbed a rake. She looked funny in her skirt and wedge sandals, which she insisted were the height of gardening couture, and dragged the rake over to me. "This is fun, though."

"Better than shopping?" I joked.

She seemed to consider it seriously, scrunching her nose. "Yeah, it's more…relaxing."

"It is. I don't think when I'm doing stuff like this."

"That's what's nice about it." She started raking the faded mulch out of the bed. "Do you do it to avoid thinking?"

Sitting back, I ripped open another bag of mulch. I wasn't sure how to answer that question. "My dad…he loved doing things like this. He had a green thumb. In our old apartment, we didn't have a yard or anything, but we had a balcony. We made a garden up there, together."

"What happened to your dad? Did your parents get divorced?"

I pressed my lips together. Talking about him wasn't something I did. Like ever. For either of my parents, and my siblings for that matter. They'd been great people. They didn't deserve what happened to them.

Dee paused. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

"No. It's okay." I stood, brushing the dirt off my shirt. When I looked up, she was leaning the rake against the porch. Her entire left arm blurred. I could see the white railing through it. I blinked. Her arm was solid again.

"Katy? You okay?"

I dragged my eyes back to her face. She really had to learn how to control her powers. If that's what you would call them. More like abilities. "Yeah, I'm okay. Um…my dad, he died about four years ago. "Oh, my God, Katy, I'm so sorry." Her face was pale, voice soft. "That's terrible."

"It's okay." I forced a smile I didn't feel.

In the sunlight, her eyes glistened. "I can understand that. Losing someone doesn't get easier with time, does it?"

"No." By the sound of it, she knew what it felt like, but before I could ask, the door to her house swung open. "Oh great." I muttered.

Dee twisted around, letting out a sigh. "Look who's back."

It was past one in the afternoon, and Daemon looked as if he'd just rolled out of bed. His jeans were rumpled, hair tousled and all over the place. He was on the phone, talking to someone as he rubbed a hand along his jaw.

And he was shirtless.

"Doesn't he own a shirt?" I asked, grabbing a spade.

"Unfortunately, I don't think so. Not even in the winter. He's always running around half-dressed." She groaned. "It's disturbing that I have to see so much of his…skin. Yuck."

Yuck for her. And hot damn for me. I started digging several holes in strategic places. My throat felt dry. Beautiful face. Beautiful body. Horrible attitude. It was the holy trinity of hot boys.

Daemon stayed on the phone for about thirty minutes, and his presence had a swamping effect. There was no ignoring him, not even when I had my back to him—I could feel him watching. My shoulder blades tingled under his heavy stare. Once I glanced over, and he was gone, only to return a few seconds later with a shirt on. Damn. I kind of missed the view.

I was patting down new soil when Daemon swaggered over, dropping a heavy arm over his sister's shoulder. She tried to wiggle free, but he held her close. "Hey, Sis."

She rolled her eyes, but she was grinning. A look of hero-worship filled her eyes as she gazed at him. "Thanks for moving the bags for us."

"Wasn't me."

Dee rolled her eyes. "Whatever, butthead."

"That's not nice." He pulled her closer, smiling—really smiling, and it was a nice look on him. He should try it more often. Then he glanced over at me and his eyes narrowed, as if he just realized I was there, in my yard. The smile was completely gone. He turned to his red-faced sister. "What are you doing?"

I picked up a potted plant. Yanking the plant out of its container, I ripped roots right along with it, completely ignoring Daemon.

"I'm helping her with the flower bed. Be nice." Dee punched him in the stomach before squirming free. "Look at what we've done. I think I have a hidden talent."

Daemon turned his eyes on my landscaping masterpiece. If I had to pick a dream job right now, it would be working with landscaping and the outdoors. Yeah, I sucked butt in the wilderness, but I was at my best with my hands sunk deep into the dirt. I loved everything about it. The numbing it brought, the way everything smelled earthy and rich, and how a little water and fresh soil could bring life back into something that was faded and dying.

And I was good at it. I watched every show on TLC. I knew where to place plants that needed more sun and ones that thrived in the shadows. There was a layered effect, taller and leafy, sturdier plants in the back and flowers in the front. All I had to do was put down soil and voila!

Daemon arched a brow.

My insides tightened. "What?"

He shrugged. "It's nice. I guess."

"Nice?" Dee sounded as offended as I felt. "It's better than nice. We rocked this project. Well, Katy rocked it. I kind of just handed her stuff."

"Is this what you do with your spare time?" he asked me, ignoring his sister.

Smiling tightly, I grabbed a handful of mulch and dumped it. Rinse and repeat. "Yeah, it's kind of a hobby. What's yours? Kicking puppies?"

"I'm not sure I should say in front of my sister," he replied, his expression turning wolfish.

"Ew." Dee made a face.

The images I got then were totally R-rated, and I could tell by his smug expression he knew it. I grabbed more mulch.

"But it's not nearly as lame as this," he added.

I froze. Pieces of red cedar floated from my fingers. "Why is this lame?"

His look said do I really need to explain? And yeah, gardening wasn't the height of coolness. I knew that. But it wasn't lame. Because I liked Dee, I clamped my mouth shut and started spreading the mulch out.

Dee pushed her brother, but he didn't move. "Don't be a jerk. Please?"

"I'm not being a jerk," he denied.

I raised my eyebrows.

"What's that?" Daemon said. "You have something to say, Kitten?"

"Other than I'd like for you to never call me Kitten? And that I feel sorry for Dee, No" I smoothed the mulch out, then stood, admiring our work. Casting Dee a look, I grinned. "I think we did good."

"Yes." She pushed her brother again, in the direction of their house. He still didn't move. "We did good, lameness and all. And you know what? I kind of like being lame."

Daemon stared at the freshly planted flowers, almost like he were dissecting them for a science experiment.

"And I think we need to spread our lameness to the flower bed in front of our house," she continued, her eyes filling with excitement. "We can go to the store, get stuff and you can—"

"She's not welcome in our house," Daemon snapped, turning to his sister. "Seriously."

Dee's delicate hands balled into fists. "I was thinking we could work on the flowerbed, which is outside—not inside—the last time I checked."

"I don't care. I don't want her over there."

"Daemon, don't do this," Dee whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "Please. I like her."

The remarkable happened. His face softened. "Dee…"

"Please?" she asked again, bouncing like a little girl asking for her favorite toy, which was odd to watch given how tall she was. I wanted to kick Daemon for turning his sister into someone clearly starving for friendships.

He cursed under his breath, folding his arms. "Dee, you have friends."

"It's not the same, and you know it." Her movements mimicked his. "It's different." I knew the feeling.

Daemon glanced over at me, his lip curling. If I still held the spade, I might've chucked it at his head. "They're your friends, Dee. They're like you. You don't need to be friends with someone…someone like her." I'd kept quiet up to that point, because I didn't want to say anything that might upset Dee. Dickhead was her brother, after all, but that— that was way too much.

His sister's eyes darted from me to him nervously. "He didn't mean anything by it."

"Bullshit," he muttered.

Now my hands were clenching into fists. "What the hell is your problem?"

Daemon faced me. There was a strange look on his face. "You."

"I'm your problem?" I took a step forward. "Because I think you're the problem right now. You know absolutely nothing about me or my life. And I'm willing to bet that I've been through a hell of a lot more than you in my life. All I was doing was gardening with Dee."

"You are all the same." A muscle popped in his jaw. "I don't need to get to know you. Or want to."

I threw my hands up, frustrated. "That works perfectly for me, buddy, because I don't want to get to know you either."

"Daemon," Dee said, grabbing his arm. "Knock it off."

He smirked as he watched me. "I don't like that you're friends with my sister."

I said the first thing that came to mind. Probably not the smartest, and normally I wasn't the type of person to fire right back, but this guy got under my skin and made me see red. "And I don't give two shits what you like." One second he was standing next to Dee and the next he was right in front of me. And I mean, right in front of me. He really shouldn't use his speed right in front of me. The idiot. But there he was, towering over me and staring down.

"You're a dumbass. You know that right?" I asked. The intensity in his eyes sent shivers down my arms. Holy crap…

"Listen closely," he said, taking a step forward. I took one back, and he matched my steps until my back bit into one of the tall trees. Daemon bent his head down, his unnatural green eyes taking up my whole world. Heat rolled off his body. "I'm only going to tell you this once. If anything happens to my sister, so help me—" He stopped, taking a deep breath as his gaze dropped to my parted lips. My breath caught. Something flickered in his eyes, but they narrowed again, hiding whatever had been there.

The images were back. The two of us. Hot and sweaty. I bit my lip and tried to make my expression blank, but yet again I knew he could tell what I was thinking when his expression turned annoyingly smug. Beyond annoying.

"You're kind of dirty, Kitten."

"I'm gardening. You get dirty when you do that," I said, wishing he'd back the hell up. Daemon being this close wasn't exactly comforting. His lips twitched. "There are a lot more fun ways to get…dirty. Not that I'd ever show you. "

I had a feeling he knew each way intimately. A flush spread over my cheeks, down my throat. "I'd rather roll around in manure than anything you might sleep in."

Daemon arched a brow and then spun around. "You need to call Matthew," he said to his sister. "Like now and not five minutes from now."

I stayed against the tree, eyes wide and unmoving until he disappeared back into his house, the door slamming shut behind him. I swallowed, looking at a distraught Dee. "Okay," I said. "That was intense." Dee dropped down on the steps, her hands in her face. "I really love him, I do. He's my brother, the only—" She cut herself off, lifting her head. "But he's a dick. I know he is. He wasn't always like that." Speechless, I stared at her. My heart was still racing, pumping blood way too fast. I wasn't sure if it was fear or adrenaline that was making me dizzy when I finally pushed away from the tree and approached her. And if I wasn't afraid, I kind of wondered if I should be.

"It's hard having friends with him around," she murmured, staring at her hands. "He runs them all off."

"Gee, I wonder why." Actually, I did wonder why. His possessiveness seemed a bit off the charts. My hands were still shaking, and even though he was gone, I could still feel him—the heat he'd thrown off. It had been…exciting. Sadly.

"I'm so, so sorry." She jumped up from the steps, opening and closing her hands. "It's just that he's overprotective."

"I get that, but it's not like I'm some dude trying to molest you something."

A grin peeked through. "I know, but he worries a lot. I know he'll…calm down, once he gets to know you."

I doubted that.

"Please tell me he hasn't run you off, too." She stepped in front of me, brows furrowed. "I know you probably think hanging out with me isn't worth—"

"No. It's okay." I ran a hand over my forehead. "He didn't run me off—he won't."

She looked so relieved I thought she'd collapse. "Good. I have to go, but I'll fix this. I promise."

I shrugged. "There's nothing to fix. He isn't your problem."

A strange look crossed her face. "But he kind of is. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Nodding, I watched her head back to her house. I grabbed the empty bags. What the hell had that been about? Never in my life had someone disliked me so strongly. Shaking my head, I dumped the bags in the trash.

Daemon was hot, but he was a jerk. A bully. A luxen. And I'd meant what I said to Dee. He wasn't going to scare me off from being friends with his sister. He'd just have to deal with it. I was here to stay.


	4. The Keys

I skipped posting on my blog on Monday, mainly because it was usually a "What are you reading" type thing and I wasn't reading anything new at the moment. I decided my poor car needed a bath instead. Mom would be proud if she was still alive, seeing that I was outside during the summer and not chained to my laptop. Other than the occasional gardening stint, I was typically a shut-in.

The sky was clear and the air carried a light musky scent mingled with pine. Soon after I'd gotten started with cleaning the inside of my car, I was amazed at how many pens and hair ties I found. Seeing my book bag on the back seat caused me to cringe. In a couple of weeks I'd be starting a new school, and I knew Dee would be surrounded by friends—friends that Daemon probably approved of, which wasn't me, because he obviously thought I was a crack dealer.

Next, I got out a bucket and hose and soaped up most of the car, but when I reached over the top of the roof, all I ended up doing was soaking myself and dropping the sponge a dozen times. No matter which side I tried to attack the roof from, it wasn't working Cursing, I started picking out pieces of gravel and grass from the sponge. I wanted to launch it into the nearby woods. Frustrated, I ended up tossing the sponge into the bucket.

"You look as if you could use some help."

I jumped. Daemon stood a few feet away from me, hands in the front pockets of his faded jeans. His bright eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

His sudden appearance had startled me. And hey, he had a shirt on. I wasn't sure if I should be grateful or disappointed. Mouth aside, he was drool-worthy. I snapped out of it, preparing myself for the inevitable verbal smackdown.

He wasn't smiling, but at least he didn't look like he wanted to kill me this time. If anything, his expression took on a mask of grudging acceptance, probably how I looked when I had to give a book I'd been excited about a less than stellar review.

"You looked as though you wanted to throw that again." He gestured to the bucket with his elbow and the sponge floating on top of the suds. "I figured I'd do my good deed for the day and intervene before any innocent sponges lose their lives." I brushed a few strands of damp hair out of my eyes, not sure what to say.

Daemon bent quickly and snatched up the sponge, squeezing out the excess water. "You look like you got more of a bath than the car. I never thought washing a car would be so hard, but after watching you for the last fifteen minutes, I'm convinced it should be an Olympic sport."

"You were watching me?" Kind of creepy. Kind of hot. No! Not hot.

He shrugged. "You could always take the car to the car wash. It would be a lot easier."

"Car washes are a waste of money."

"True," he said slowly. He knelt down and began cleaning a spot I'd missed on the fender around the tire before tackling the roof of the car. "You need new tires. These are about bald and winter's crazy around here." I didn't care about my tires. I couldn't figure out why he was here, talking to me, when the last time we'd spoken, he'd acted like I was the antichrist and practically had me pinned to a tree, talking about ways to get dirty. And why hadn't I brushed my hair this morning?

"Anyway, I'm glad you were out here." He finished with the roof in record time and picked up the hose. He flashed a half grin at me and started spraying the car with water, the suds running down the sides like an overflowing cup. "I think I'm supposed to apologize."

"You think you're supposed to?"

Daemon faced me, eyes narrowed against the bright sun, and I barely dodged the spray of water as he tackled the opposite side of the car. "Yeah, according to Dee I needed to get my ass over here and make nice. Something about me killing her chances of having a 'normal' friend."

"A normal friend? What kind of friends does she have?"

"Not normal," he replied. As in the luxen kind.

"Well, apologizing and not meaning it kind of defeats the purpose of apologizing."

He made an affirmative noise. "True."

I stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," he dragged the word out, working his way around the car as he continued to rinse off the soap suds. "Actually, I don't have a choice. I have to make nice."

"You don't seem like a person who does anything he doesn't want to do."

"Normally I'm not." He moved around to the back of the car. "But my sister took my car keys and until I play nice, I don't get them back. It's too damn annoying to get replacements."

I tried to stop it, but I laughed. "She took your keys?"

He scowled, returning to my side. "It's not funny."

"You're right." I laughed. "It's freaking hilarious."

Daemon shot me a dirty look.

I folded my arms. "I'm sorry, though. I'm not accepting your not-so-sincere apology."

"Not even when I'm cleaning your car?"

"Nope." I smiled at the way his eyes narrowed. "You may never see those keys again."

"Well, damn, there went my plan." A begrudging smile toyed with the corners of his mouth. "I figured that if I really don't feel bad, then at least I could make up for it."

Part of me was annoyed, but there was another part of me that was amused—reluctantly amused. "Are you normally this warm and sparkly?"

He headed past me and turned the water off. "Always. Do you usually stare at guys when you stop over, asking for directions?"

"Do you always answer the door half-naked?"

"Always. And you didn't answer my question. Do you always stare?"

Heat infused my cheeks. "I was not staring."

"Really?" he asked. That half grin was there again, hinting at dimples. "Anyway, you woke me up. I'm not a morning person."

"It wasn't that early," I pointed out.

"I sleep in. It is summer, you know. Don't you sleep in?"

I pushed back a strand of hair that had escaped my ponytail. "No. I always get up early."

He groaned. "You sound just like my sister. No wonder she loves you so much already."

"Dee has taste…unlike some," I said. His lips twitched. "And she's great. I really like her, so if you're over here to play big, bad brother, just forget it."

"That's not why I'm here." He gathered up the bucket and various sprays and cleansers. I probably should have helped him sort things out, but it was fascinating watching him take charge of my little cleaning project. Although he kept tossing me the odd half smile, I could tell this little exchange was awkward for him. Good.7

"Then why are you here, other than delivering a crappy apology?" I couldn't stop staring at his mouth when he spoke. I bet he knew how to kiss. Perfect kisses too, ones that weren't wet and gross, but the kind that curled toes.

I needed to stop looking at him in general.

Daemon placed all the supplies on the porch steps and straightened. Stretching his arms over his head, his shirt rode up, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of muscles. His gaze lingered on my face, and warmth blossomed in my stomach. "Maybe I'm just curious why she is so enamored. Dee doesn't take well to strangers. None of us do."

"I had a dog once that didn't take well to strangers."

Daemon stared at me a moment, then laughed. It was a deep, rumbling sound. Nice. Sexy. Oh God, I looked away. He was the kind of boy that broke hearts and left a long line of them shattered behind him. He was trouble. Maybe the fun kind of trouble, but he was also a jerk. And I didn't do jerks. Not that I did anyone.

I cleared my throat. "Well, thanks for the car thing."

Suddenly, he was right in front of me again. So close that his toes almost touched mine. I sucked in a sharp breath, wanting to back up. He needed to stop doing that. "My little sis does seem to like you," he said, as if he couldn't figure out why.

I bristled and tilted my head back but focused my gaze over his shoulder. "Little? You're twins."

"I was born a whole four minutes and thirty seconds before she was," he boasted, his eyes meeting mine. "Technically she is my little sister."

My throat felt dry. "She's the baby in the family?"

"Yep, therefore I'm the one starved for attention."

"I guess that explains your poor attitude then," I retorted.

"Maybe, but most people find me charming."

"Sorry if I have…a hard time believing that." His lips curved slightly. "You shouldn't, Kat." He picked up a loose section of hair that had escaped my clip, twirling the hair around his finger. "What kind of color is this? It's not brown or blonde." I snatched my hair back. "It's called light brown."

"Hmm," he said, nodding. "You and I have plans to make."

"What?" I sidestepped his large body, dragging in a deep breath as I gained some distance. My heart was pounding. "We don't have any plans to make."

Daemon sat down on the steps, stretching out his long legs and leaning back on his elbows.

"Comfortable?" I snapped.

"Very." He squinted up at me. "About these plans…"

I stood a few feet from him. "What are you talking about?"

"You remember the whole 'getting my ass over here and playing nice' thing, right? That also involves my car keys?" He crossed his ankles as his gaze slid over to the trees. "Those plans involve me getting my car keys back."

"You need to give me a little more of an explanation than that."

"Of course," he sighed. "Dee hid my keys. She's good at hiding stuff, too. I've already torn the house apart, and I can't find them."

"So, make her tell you where they are."

"Oh, I would, if she was here. But she's left town and won't be back until Sunday."

"What?" She'd never mentioned going out of town. "I didn't know that."

"It was a last-minute thing." He uncrossed his ankles and one foot started to tap an unheard rhythm. "And the only way she'll tell me where the keys are hidden is by me earning bonus points. See, my sister has this thing about bonus points, ever since elementary school." I started to smile. "Okay…?"

"I have to earn bonus points to get my keys back," he explained. "The only way I can earn those points is by doing something nice for you."

I busted out laughing again. The look on his face was awesome. "I'm sorry, but this is kind of funny."

Daemon drew in a deep, disgusted breath. "Yeah, it's real funny."

My laughter faded. "What do you have to do?"

"I'm supposed to take you swimming tomorrow. If I do that, then she'll tell me where my keys are hidden—and I have to be nice."

He had to be kidding, but the longer I stared at him, I realized he was being serious. My mouth dropped open. "So the only way you get your keys back is by taking me swimming and by being nice to me?"

"Wow. You're a quick one."

I did laugh again. "Yeah, well, you can kiss your keys good-bye."

Surprise shone on his face. "Why?"

"Because I'm not going anywhere with you," I told him.

"We don't have a choice."

"No. You don't have a choice, but I do." I glanced at the closed door behind him, wondering if I could use some excuse. "I'm not the one with missing keys."

Daemon watched me for a moment, and then he grinned. "You don't want to hang out with me?"

"Uh, no."

"Why not?"

I rolled my eyes. "For starters, you're a jerk."

He nodded. "I can be."

"And I'm not spending time with a guy who's being forced to do it by his sister. I'm not desperate."

"You're not?"

Anger whipped through me, and I took a step forward. "Get off my porch."

He seemed to consider it. "No."

"What do you mean no?"

"I'm not leaving until you agree to go swimming with me."

Steam should be coming out of my ears. "Fine. You can sit there, because I'd rather eat glass than spend time with you."

He laughed. "That sounds drastic."

"Not nearly," I shot back, heading up the stairs.

Daemon twisted around, catching my ankle. His grip was loose, his hand incredibly warm. I looked down at him, and he smiled at me, as innocent as an angel. "I'll sit here all day and night. I'll camp out on your porch. And I won't leave. We have all week, Kitten. Either get it over with tomorrow and be done with me, or I'll be right here until you do agree. You won't be able to leave the house." I gaped at him. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am."

"Just tell her we went and that I had a great time." I tried to pull my foot free, but he held on. "Lie."

"She'll know if I'm lying. We're twins. We know these things." He paused. "Or are you too shy to go swimming with me? Does the idea of getting almost naked around me make you uncomfortable?"

I grabbed the railing and yanked on my foot. The butthead was only lightly holding me, but with his luxen strength, I knew he would still be surprised if I was able to get out of his grip. He would be too suspicious. "I'm from Florida, idiot. I've spent half my life in a bathing suit."

"What's the big deal?"

"I don't like you." I stopped pulling and stood there. His hand seemed to hum around my skin. It was the weirdest feeling ever. "Let go of my ankle."

Very slowly, he lifted each finger while holding my stare. "I'm not leaving, Kitten. You're going to do this."

"No. I'm actually not."

"Fine. Then where are your parents? I'll just ask them if it's okay." he said, smirking.

"I'll go," I blurted out, not wanting to talk about the whole situation with my parents right now.

"What?"

"I'll go swimming with you."

"Okay. I'll be here at noon then," he said, still a little surprised at my outburst.

"Fine," I sighed.

"Grinning, he backed down the steps "Twenty bucks says you wear a one-piece swimsuit."

He was insufferable.


	5. Going For A Swim

When the first cracks of light came through the windows, I rolled onto my side, still half asleep.

I groaned.

I had to hang out with Daemon today. And I'd tossed and turned all night, dreaming about a boy with shocking green eyes and a bikini that kept coming undone. Grabbing the latest novel I was reviewing from my nightstand, I spent the morning lounging in bed and reading, desperately trying to think of anything but our upcoming adventure. Why did I ever agree to this?

When the sun was nearly high in the sky, I set the book aside, threw off the covers, and headed to the shower.

A few minutes later, I was standing in a towel and staring at my swimsuit options. Horror filled me. Daemon had been right. The idea of being half naked around him did make me want to spew my Tater Tots. Even though I couldn't stand him, and I actually think he might be the first person I ever hated, he was…he was a god.

Even though I wouldn't touch him for all the money in the world, I was big enough to admit there was a part of me that wanted him to want me. I didn't have his luxen supermodel looks. I was just plain. Average.

And I only had three bathing suits that could be considered acceptable: a razorback one-piece. Plain and boring. A two-piece that was a bikini top and boy shorts, and a third that was a red two-piece bikini.

I could have chosen a tent and I'd still feel uncomfortable.

Throwing the one-piece back into the closet, I held up the other two. My reflection stared back at me, a suit on each side, and I took a hard look at myself. Light brown hair fell to the middle of my back, and I was nervous of ever cutting it. My eyes were a plain gray—not magnetic or compelling like Dee's. My lips were full but not as expressive as my mom's.

I spared a glance at the red suit. I was always reserved, more cautious than my mom would ever be. The red bathing suit was anything but cautious. It was flirty, sexy even. Something I clearly was not and, well, that bothered me. Reserved, practical Katy was safe and boring. That was who I was. Why my mom used to feel okay to leave me alone all the time, because I would never do anything that would make her blink twice.

The kind of girl Daemon expected he could easily boss around and intimidate. He probably expected me to wear a one-piece and keep my shorts and top on since he'd taunted me. What had he said when he first met me? That I looked like a thirteen-year-old?

A red hot feeling sparked inside me.

Screw him.

I wanted to be exciting and bold. Maybe I even wanted to shock Daemon, prove him wrong. Without a second thought, I threw the plain suit into the corner and laid the red one on my small desk.

My decision was made.

I put on the scraps in record time, and a pair of denim shorts and a tank top that had pretty flowers on it over the top to hide my audacity. Once I found my sneakers, I gathered up a towel and headed downstairs.

I jumped when someone banged against the front door, almost tripping over my feet. My heart flipped as I looked at the time.

11:46 a.m.

After taking a calming breath, I stumbled over my own feet to get to the door. Daemon stood with a towel thrown casually over his shoulder.

"I'm a little early."

"I can see," I said, voice flat. "Change your mind? You could always try lying."

He arched a brow. "I'm not a liar."

I stared at him. "Just give me a second to grab my stuff." I didn't wait for his reply. I swung the door shut in his face. It was childish, but I felt like I'd scored a small victory. I went to the kitchen and grabbed my sneakers and stuff before returning and opening the door again. Daemon was right where I'd left him.

Nervous excitement fluttered in my belly as I locked the front door and followed Daemon down the driveway. "Okay, so where are you taking me?"

"What fun would it be if you knew?" he asked. "You won't be surprised then."

"I'm new to town, remember? Everywhere is going to be a surprise for me."

"Then why ask?" He cocked a smug eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "We aren't driving?

Daemon laughed. "No. Where we're going you can't drive. It's not a well-known spot. Most locals don't even know about it."

"Oh, I'm special then."

"You know what I think, Kat?"

I peeked at him and caught him watching me with such serious intensity I flushed. "I'm pretty sure I don't want to know."

"I think my sister finds you very special. I'm starting to wonder if she's onto something."

I smirked. "But then there's all kinds of special now, isn't there."

He led me down the road and across the main highway. He had me curious when we entered the dense tree line on the other side of the road.

"Are you taking me out to the woods as a trick?" I asked, half serious.

He glanced over his shoulder, lashes hiding his eyes. "And what would I do out here to you, Kitten?"

I shivered. "The possibilities are endless."

"Aren't they?" He made his way easily around the thick brush and vines tangled together on the floor of the woods.

I was having a hell of a time not breaking my neck on the many exposed roots and moss-covered rocks. "Can we pretend we did this?"

"Trust me, I don't want to be doing this either." He jumped over a fallen tree. "But bitching about it isn't going to make it any easier." Turning around, he offered me his hand.

"You're such a joy to talk to." I briefly considered ignoring it, but I placed my hand in his. Static passed from his skin to mine. I bit down on my lip as he helped me over the downed tree before dropping my hand. "Thank you." Daemon looked away and continued walking. "Are you excited about school?"

What? Like he cared? "It's not exciting being the newbie. You know, the whole sticking out like a sore thumb. Not fun. And I still need to finish unpacking. Unfortunately the boxes aren't unpacking themselves."

"You still haven't unpacked yet?"

"Nope. I've sort of been avoiding it."

We only have a little bit more to go."

"A little bit? How long have we been walking?"

"About twenty minutes, maybe a little longer. I told you it was fairly hidden."

Following him over another uprooted tree, I saw a clearing ahead beyond the trees.

"Welcome to our little piece of paradise." There was a sardonic twist to his lips.

Ignoring him, I walked into the clearing. I was amazed. "Wow. This place is beautiful."

"It is." He stood next to me, one hand cupping his eyes against the glare from the sun bouncing off the smooth surface of the water.

I could tell from the stiff set of his shoulders, this place was special to him. Just knowing that kind of made my stomach flutter. I reached up and put my hand on his arm, and he turned to face me. "Thank you for bringing me." Before Daemon could open his mouth and ruin the moment, I dropped my hand and deliberately looked away.

A creek divided the clearing, expanding into a small, natural lake. It rippled in the soft breeze. Rocks erupted from the middle, flat and smooth-looking. Somehow, the land had been cleared in a perfect circle around the water. Large patches of flat, grassy land and wildflowers blossomed in the full sun. It was peaceful.

I went to the water's edge. "How deep is it?"

"About ten feet in most parts, twenty feet on the other side of the rocks." He was right behind me, doing that creepy, quiet walking thing. "Dee loves it here. Before you came, she spent most of her days here." To Daemon, my arrival was the beginning of the end. The apocalypse. Kat-mageddon.

Things would be much easier if we could just get along. "I haven't ever gotten into trouble before."

He slipped around me, eyes on the still waters. "She doesn't need a friend like you."

"There isn't anything wrong with me," I snapped. "You know what? Forget this."

He sighed. "Why do you garden?"

I stopped, hands clenching. "What?"

"Why do you garden?" he asked again, still staring at the lake. "Dee said you do it so you don't think. What do you want to avoid thinking about?"

What was this, sharing and caring time now? "It's none of your business."

Daemon shrugged. "Then let's go swimming."

Swimming was the last thing I wanted to do. Drowning him? Maybe. But then he kicked off his sneakers and took off his jeans. Underneath, he had on swim trunks. Then he whipped his shirt off in one quick motion. Damn. I'd seen guys without their shirts on before. I lived in Florida, where every guy felt the need to walk around half-dressed. Hell, I'd seen this half-naked guy before. This shouldn't be a big deal.

But man, I was so wrong.

He had a great build, not too big but more muscles than any boy his age should have. Daemon moved with a fluid grace to the water, his muscles flexing and stretching with every step.

I wasn't sure how long I stood staring after him before he finally dived into the water. My cheeks were warm. I exhaled, realizing I'd been holding my breath. I needed to get a grip. Or a camera to memorialize this moment, because I bet I could make money from a video of him. I could make a fortune… As long as he never opened his mouth.

Daemon broke the surface several feet away from where he went under, water glistening in his hair and on the tips of his lashes. His dark hair was slicked back, bringing more focus on his eerie green eyes. "Are you coming in?" Recalling the red bathing suit I'd decided to wear, I wished I could run away. My earlier confidence had evaporated. I toed off my shoes with slow, deliberate movements, pretending to enjoy the surroundings while my heart threw itself against my ribs.

He watched for a few moments, curious. "You sure are shy, aren't you, Kitten?"

I stilled. "Why do you call me that?"

"Because it makes your hair stand up, like a kitten." Daemon was laughing at me. He pushed back farther, the water lapping at his chest. "So? Are you coming in?"

Good God, he wasn't going to turn around or anything. And there was a challenge in his stare, as if he expected me to chicken out. Maybe that's what he wanted—expected. There was no doubt in my mind that he knew he had an effect on girls.

Practical, boring Katy would've gone into the lake fully clothed.

I didn't want to be her. That was the whole purpose of the red bathing suit. I wanted to prove to him I wasn't easily intimidated. I was determined to win this round.

Daemon looked bored. "I'm giving you one minute to get in here."

I resisted the urge to flip him off again and took a deep breath. It wasn't as if I was getting naked, not really. "Or what?"

He moved closer to the bank of the lake. "Or I come and get you."

I scowled at him. "I'd like to see you try that."

"Forty seconds." He watched me with an intense, piercing gaze as he drifted closer.

Rubbing my hand down my face, I sighed.

"Thirty seconds." He taunted from an even shorter distance.

"Jesus," I muttered, yanking my shirt off. I thought twice about throwing it at his head. I raced to shed my shorts when he called out the last taunting reminder.

I stepped toward the edge with my hands on my hips. "Happy?"

Daemon lost his smile and stared. "I'm never happy around you."

"What did you say?" My eyes narrowed on his blank expression. He did not say what I thought he did.

"Nothing. You better get in before that blush reaches your toes."

I turned and walked toward the edge of the lake where the drop-off wasn't steep. The water felt great, easing the uncomfortable heat prickling my skin.

I pushed off the edge and dived, gliding forward, and breaking the surface in the middle of the lake.

He watched me for a moment and then thankfully disappeared under the water. Water dripped down his face when he popped back up. Needing to cool my face off, I went back under. The cold rush was invigorating, clearing my thoughts. Resurfacing, I pushed the long clumps of hair out of my face.

Daemon eyed me from a few feet away, his cheeks above the waterline and his breath blowing the occasional bubble to break the surface tension. Something in his gaze beckoned me closer.

"What?" I asked after a stretch of silence.

"Why don't you come here?"

There was no way I was going near him. Not even if he dangled a cookie in his hand. Trust and his name didn't go together. I twisted around, dipping under the water, heading for the rocks I'd seen in the middle of the lake.

I reached them in a few strong strokes and pulled myself out of the water, onto the warm, hard surface. I started squeezing the water out of my hair. He treaded water in the middle of the lake. "You look disappointed." Daemon didn't respond. A curious, almost confused look crossed his face. "Well…what do we have here?"

I dangled my feet into the water and made a face at him. "What are you talking about now?"

"Nothing." He waded closer to me.

"You said something."

"I did, didn't I?"

"You're strange."

"You're not what I expected," he said in a hushed voice.

"What does that mean?" I asked as he made a grab for my foot, and I moved my leg out of his reach. "I'm not good enough to be your sister's friend?"

"You don't have anything in common with her."

"How would you know?" I shifted again as he reached for the other leg.

"I know."

"We have a lot in common. And I like her. She's nice and she's fun." I scooted back, completely out of his grasp. "And you should stop being such a dick and chasing off her friends."

Daemon was quiet, and then he laughed. "You're not really like them."

"Like who?"

Another long moment passed. The water lapped around his shoulders, tiny ripples echoing from his chest as he pushed away.

Shaking my head, I watched him disappear under the water again. I leaned back and closed my eyes. The way the warmth of the sun fell against my upturned face, and the way the heat from the rock seeped through my skin, reminded me of dozing off at the beach. Cool water tickled my toes. I could stay here all day, basking in the sun. Minus Daemon, it would've been perfect.

Pushing up, I expected to see him floating on his back, but he had disappeared. I didn't see him anywhere. I stood up, careful of the sloping rock, and scanned the lake, studying the twinkling surface for a mass of black, wavy hair.

What an idiot. He was still underwater. Time for some acting.

"Daemon!" I screamed.

There was no response.


	6. Swimming Off The Deep End

"Daemon!"

"Oh my God," I whispered. "This can't be happening."

Just as I took a small step to dive into the water, the surface heaved and Daemon burst from the water.

He levered himself onto the rock, the muscles of his arms popping from the strain. "Are you okay? You look a little freaked out."

"Are you okay? What happened?" Then I smacked his arm. Hard. "Don't you ever do that again!" Daemon threw his hands up. "Whoa there, what is your problem?"

"You were under the water for so long. I thought you drowned! Why would you do that? Why would you scare me like that?" I hopped to my feet, dragging in a deep breath. "You were under the water forever." He frowned. "I wasn't down there that long. I was swimming."

"No, Daemon, you were down there a long time. It was at least ten minutes! I looked for you, called for you. I…I thought you were dead."

He climbed to his feet. "It couldn't have been ten minutes. That's not possible. No one can hold their breath that long."

Daemon's eyes searched mine. "You were really worried, weren't you?"

"No shit! What part of ' I thought you drowned' don't you understand?" I was shaking.

"Kat, I came up. You must not have seen me. I went right back down."

He was lying. I knew he was, because he was luxen and careless, and decided to stop breathing right in front of me. The freaking idiot. But I think I did a good job acting like I was freaked out.

"Does this happen often?" he asked.

My gaze snapped back to his. "Does what?"

"Imagining things." He waved his hand. "Or do you have a horrible issue with telling time."

"I wasn't imagining anything! And I know how to tell time, you jerk."

"Then I don't know what to tell you." He stepped forward, which wasn't very far on the rock. "I'm not the one imagining that I was underwater for ten minutes when it was like two minutes tops. You know, maybe I'll buy you a watch the next time I'm in town, when I have my keys back." For some stupid reason, one I would probably never know, I'd forgotten the reason why we were here. Somewhere between seeing him half naked and then thinking he was dead, I'd lost my mind.

"Well, make sure you tell Dee we had a wonderful time so that you can get your stupid keys back," I said, meeting his eyes. "Then we won't need a replay of today."

The smug smile was plastered across his face. "That's on you, Kitten. I'm sure she'll call you later and ask."

"You'll have your keys. I'm ready—" My foot slipped over the wet rock. Thrown off balance, my arms flailed in the air.

Moving lightning fast, his hand shot out and grabbed mine, pulling me forward. The next thing I knew I was against his warm, wet chest and his arm was around my waist.

"Careful there, Kitten. Dee would be pissed at me if you end up cracking your head open and drowning."

Understandable. She'd probably think he did it on purpose. I started to respond but couldn't. There wasn't much separating our skin in terms of clothing. My blood was pumping way too fast. It had to be the whole almost-drowning incident.

A strange edginess swamped me as we stared at each other, the slight wind brushed along wet skin that wasn't pressed against one another, making the parts plastered together seem even hotter.

Neither of us spoke.

His chest rose and fell, the deep bottle-green of his eyes shifting by degrees. It was a powerful, almost electric feeling that coursed through me—answering something in him?

Well, that was strange, foolish, and illogical. He hated me.

Then Daemon released my waist and stepped back. He cleared his throat, his voice thick. "I think it's time we head back."

I nodded, disappointed and not even sure why I was disappointed. His mood swings made me feel as if I were on one of those crappy tilt-a-whirls that wouldn't end, but there…there was just something about him.

We didn't speak as we dried off and dressed. We started back home silently. It seemed neither of us had anything to say, which was actually nice. I liked him better when he'd lost the ability to speak.

But when we reached the driveway, he cursed under his breath. It felt like a blast of arctic air had swept between us. I followed his troubled gaze. There was a strange car in his driveway, one of those expensive Audis that cost my mom's salary. I wondered if it was his parents, and if this was going to turn into Kat-mageddon round two.

Daemon's jaw flexed. "Kat, I—"

A door opened and closed, banging off the side of the house. A man in his late twenties, early thirties stepped out onto the porch. His light brown hair didn't match Daemon's and Dee's dark waves. Whoever he was, he was handsome and dressed nicely.

And he also looked pissed.

The man came down the steps two at a time. He didn't even look at me. Not once. "What's going on here?"

"Absolutely nothing." Daemon folded his arms. "Since my sister is not home, I'm curious as to why you're in my house?"

Okay. Definitely not family.

"I let myself in," he replied. "I didn't realize that would be a problem."

"It is now, Matthew."

Matthew. I recognized the name from the phone call Dee had to take. Finally, the man's steely gaze zeroed in on me. His eyes widened slightly. They were a bright, startling blue. His lip curled as he looked me up and down. Not in a checking me out kind of way, either, but like he was sizing me up. "Of all people, I'd think you'd know better, Daemon." Oh hell, here we go again. I was beginning to wonder if I was flying a freak flag. The air was rife with tension, and all because of me. It didn't make any sense. I didn't even know this guy.

Daemon's eyes narrowed. "Matthew, if you value the ability to walk, I wouldn't go there."

I stepped to the side. "I think I should go."

"I'm thinking Matthew should go," Daemon said, stepping in front of me, "unless he has another purpose other than sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."

Even Daemon couldn't block the revulsion in the man's stare. "I'm sorry," I said, "but I don't know what's going on here. We were just swimming."

Matthew's gaze swung on Daemon, who squared his shoulders. "It's not what you're thinking. Give me some credit. Dee hid my keys, forced me take her out to get them back."

A hot flush swept through me. Did he really need to tell some dude I was a pity date?

And then the man laughed. "So this is Dee's little friend."

"That would be me," I said, crossing my arms.

"I thought you had this under control." He gestured toward me, sounding as if I were a homicidal clown standing next to Daemon. "That you'd make your sister understand."

"Yeah, well, why don't you try to make her understand," Daemon retorted. "So far, I'm not having much luck."

Matthew's lips thinned. "Both of you should know better."

A crack of thunder startled me as they stared down at one another. Lightning streaked overhead, momentarily blinding. Once the light receded, dark, tumultuous clouds rolled in. Energy crackled around me, flashing across my skin.

Then Matthew turned away, casting another dark look in my direction before heading inside Daemon's house. The moment the door slammed shut behind him, the clouds parted.

Daemon was already walking into the house, the door smacking off the frame once again like a shot in a canyon. I stood there, not sure what had just happened.


	7. The Blog

Dee called that night, and even though I wanted to tell her that my time with Daemon hadn't been all puppy dog tails and rainbows, I lied. I told her he was great. He earned his keys and then some. Otherwise, she might make him take me on another outing.

I almost felt bad for lying when she sounded happy.

The next week crawled by. I had endless time to dread the fact there was only a week and a half left before school started. Dee still hadn't come back from visiting family or whatever she was doing. Left alone and bored out of my mind, I'd gotten reacquainted with the Internet intimately.

It was early Saturday evening when Daemon unexpectedly showed up at my door, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. His back was to me, head tipped back as he stared up at the cloudless blue sky. A few stars were starting to appear but the sun wouldn't truly set for another couple of hours.

Surprised to see him, I walked outside. His head whipped down so fast I thought he would pull a muscle. "What are you doing?" I asked.

His brows slanted low. Several seconds passed and then his lip tipped up at one corner. He cleared his throat. "I like staring at the sky. There's something about it." His gaze returned to the sky. "It's endless, you know." Daemon almost sounded deep. "Is some crazy dude going to run out of your house and yell at you for talking to me?"

"Not right now, but there is always later."

I wasn't sure if he was being serious or not. "I'm okay missing 'later.'"

"Yeah. Busy?"

"Other than messing with my blog, no."

"You have a blog?" He faced me, leaning back against the post. Derision pinched his features.

He'd said blog like it was a crack habit. "Yeah, I have a blog."

"What's your blog's name?"

"None of your business," I said, smiling sweetly.

"Interesting name." He returned my smile with a half grin. "So what do you blog about? Knitting? Puzzles? Being lonely?"

"Ha. Ha, smartass." I sighed. "I review books."

"Do you get paid for them?"

I laughed out loud at that. "No. Not at all."

Daemon seemed confused by that. "So you review books and you don't get paid if someone buys a book based on your review?"

"I don't review books to get paid or anything." Although that would be sweet, which reminded me I needed to get a library card. "I do it because I like it. I love reading, and I enjoy talking about books."

"What kind of books do you read?"

"All different kinds." I leaned against the post opposite of him, craning my neck back to meet his steady gaze. "Mainly I prefer the paranormal stuff."

"Vampires and werewolves?"

Man, how many questions could he ask? "Yeah."

"Ghosts and aliens?"

"Definitely aliens, although they're not very... realistic. But ghosts doesn't really do it for me."

One single eyebrow arched. "What does it for you?"

"Not spirits and floating white blobs," I replied. "Anyway, I also appreciate graphic novels, history stuff—"

"You read graphic novels?" Disbelief colored his tone. "Seriously?"

I nodded. "Yeah, so what? Are girls not supposed to like graphic novels and comics?"

He stared at me a long moment, then jerked his chin toward the woods. "Want to go on a hike?"

"Uh, you know I'm not good with the whole hiking thing," I reminded him.

A grin appeared. There was an edge to it. Rough. Sexy. "I'm not taking you up on the Rocks. Just a harmless little trail. I'm sure you can handle it."

"Did Dee not tell you where your keys were?" I asked, suspicious.

"Yeah, she did."

"Then why are you here?"

Daemon sighed. "I don't have a reason. I thought I would just stop over, but if you're going to question everything, then you can forget it."

I watched him go down the steps as I chewed on my lip. This was crazy. I'd been dying of boredom for days. Rolling my eyes, I called out, "All right, let's do this."

"Are you sure?"

I agreed, with a hefty amount of trepidation.


	8. An Adventure

"Why are we going behind my house?" I asked when it was evident where he was leading me. "The Seneca Rocks are that way. I thought most trails started over there." I pointed to the front of my house, to where the tips of the monstrous sandstone-looking structures loomed over everything.

"Yeah, but there are trails back here that will take you around and it's quicker," he explained. "Most people here know all the main trails that are crowded. There used to be a lot of boring days out here, and I found a couple of them off the beaten trail." I made a face. "How far off the beaten track are we talking?"

He chuckled. "Not that far."

"So it's a baby trail? I bet this is going to be boring for you."

"Anytime I get to go out and walk around is good. Besides it's not as if we'll hike all the way to Smoke Hole Canyon. That's a pretty big hike from here, so no worries, okay?"

"All right, lead the way."

We stopped off at Daemon's to grab a couple of water bottles and then took off. We walked on in silence for a few minutes and then he said, "You're very trusting, Kitten."

"Stop calling me that." It was a little difficult to keep up with his long-legged pace, so I trailed a few steps behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder without a misstep. "No one has ever called you that before?"

I picked my way around a large, prickly bush. "Yeah, people call me Kitten all the time. But you make it sound so…"

His brows shot up. "Sound so what?"

"I don't know, like it's an insult." He'd slowed, and now I was walking beside him. "Or something sexually deviant."

He turned his head away, laughing. The sound had my muscles tensing.

"Why are you always laughing at me?"

Shaking his head, he grinned down at me. "I don't know, you just kind of make me laugh."

I kicked a small rock. "Whatever. So what was up with that Matthew dude? He acted as if he hated me or something."

"He doesn't hate you. He doesn't trust you," he muttered the last words.

I shook my head, bewildered. "Trust me with what? Your virtue?" Because I mean seriously, did he have to be so mistrusting? Humans weren't that bad. And believe it or not, they can be trusted. My sisters were examples of that.

He barked out a laugh, and it took him a few moments to respond. "Yeah. He's not a fan of beautiful girls who have the hots for me."

"What?" I tripped over an exposed root. Daemon caught me easily, setting me back on my feet the minute I was steady. The brief contact had my skin tingling through my clothes. His hands lingered on my waist only a few seconds before he dropped them. "You're joking, right?"

"Which part?" he asked.

"Any of that!"

"Come on. Please don't tell me you don't think you're pretty." He considered my silence. "No guy has ever said you're pretty?"

He wasn't the first person to say anything nice about me, but I guess I never cared before. Previous boyfriends told me I was pretty, but I never considered that a reason for someone disliking me. Looking away, I shrugged. "Of course."

"Or…maybe you're not aware of it?"

I shrugged again as I focused on the trunks of old trees, about to change the subject and deny the other part of his statement. I most definitely did not have the hots for this arrogant guy.

"You know what I've always believed?" he said softly.

We were still standing in the path, only the sounds of a few birds echoed around us. My voice drifted away on a light breeze. "No."

"I've always found that the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect." His eyes searched mine intently, and for a moment we stood there toe to toe. "The ones who throw their beauty around, waste what they have? Their beauty is only passing. It's just a shell hiding nothing but shadows and emptiness." I did the most inappropriate thing possible. I laughed. "I'm sorry, but that was the most thoughtful thing I've ever heard you say. What alien ship took the Daemon I know away, and can I ask them to keep him?" He scowled. "I was being honest."

"I know, but it's just that was really…wow." And here I was, ruining probably the nicest thing he would ever say to me.

He shrugged and began leading me down the trail again. "We won't go too far," he said after a few minutes. "So you're interested in history?"

"Yeah, I know that makes me a nerd." I was also grateful for the change in subject.

His lips twitched at that. "Did you know this land was once traveled by the Seneca Indians?"

I winced. "Please tell me we aren't walking on any burial grounds?"

"Well…I'm sure there are burial grounds around here somewhere. Even though they just traveled through this area, it's not a stretch that some died on this very spot and—"

"Daemon, I don't need to know that part." I gave him a light push on the arm.

He had that weird look again and shook his head. "Okay, I'll tell you the story and I'll leave some of the more creepy but natural facts out."

A long branch stretched across the path, and Daemon held it up for me to duck under, my shoulder brushing against his chest as I passed before he dropped the branch and took the lead again. "What story?"

"You'll see. Now pay attention…A long time ago, this land was forest and hills, which isn't too different than today with the exception of a few small towns." His finger drifted over the lower hanging branches as we walked, pushing the lower ones aside for me. "But imagine this place so sparsely populated that it could take days, even weeks, before you reached your nearest neighbor." I shivered. "That seems so lonely."

"But you have to understand that was the way of life hundreds of years ago. Farmers and mountain men lived a few miles away from one another, but the distance was all traveled by foot or horse. It wasn't usually the safest way to travel."

"I can imagine," I responded faintly.

"The Seneca Indian tribe traveled through the eastern part of the United States, and at some point, they walked this very path toward the Seneca Rocks." His gaze met mine. "Did you know that this very small path behind your house leads right to the base of them?"

"No. They always seem so far off in the distance I never thought of them as being that close."

"If you stayed on this path for a couple of miles you'd find yourself at the base of them. It's a pretty rocky patch even the most experienced rock climbers stay away from. See, the Seneca Rocks spread from Grant to Pendleton County, with the highest point being Spruce Knob and an outcropping near Seneca called Champe Rocks. Now they are kind of hard to get to, since it usually involves invading someone's property, but it can be worth it if you can scale way beyond nine hundred feet in the sky," he finished wistfully.

"That sounds like fun." Not. I couldn't keep the sarcasm from my voice, so I offered a pained smile. I didn't want to spoil the mood. This was probably the longest Daemon and I had ever spoken without some statement earning him the finger.

"It is if you're not afraid of slipping." He laughed at my expression. "Anyway, the Seneca Rocks are made out of quartzite, which is part sandstone. That's why it sometimes has a pinkish tint to it. Quartzite is considered a beta quartz. People who believe in…abnormal powers or powers in…nature, as a lot Indian tribes did at one time, believe that any form of beta quartz allows energy to be stored and transformed, even manipulated by it. It can throw electronics and other stuff off, too—hide things."

"Ooo-kay." He shot me a stern look, so I decided not to interrupt anymore.

"Possibly the beta quartz drew the Seneca Tribe to this area. No one knows since they weren't native to West Virginia. No one knows how long any of them camped here, traded, or made war." He paused for a few moments, scanning the terrain as if he could see them there, shadows of the past. "But they do have a very romantic legend."

"Romantic?" I asked as he led me around a small stream. I couldn't imagine anything romantic about something thrusting nine hundred feet in the sky.

"See, there was this beautiful Indian princess called Snowbird, who had asked seven of the tribe's strongest warriors to prove their love by doing something only she had been able to do. Many men wanted to be with her for her beauty and her rank. But she wanted an equal.

"When the day arrived for her to choose her husband, she set forth a challenge so only the bravest and most dedicated warrior would win her hand. She asked her suitors to climb the highest rock with her," he continued softly, slowing down so we were walking side by side on the narrow path now. "They all started, but as it became more difficult, three turned back. A fourth became weary and a fifth crumpled in exhaustion. Only two remained, and the beautiful Snowbird stayed in the lead. Finally, she reached the highest point and turned to see who was the bravest and strongest of all warriors. Only one remained a few feet behind her and as she watched, he began to slip." I was quickly caught up in the legend. The idea of making seven men fight and face possible death to win your hand was unimaginable to me.

"Snowbird paused only for a second, thinking that this brave warrior obviously was the strongest, but he was not her equal. She could save him or she could let him slip. He was brave, but he had yet to reach the highest pointlike she had."

"But he was right behind her? How could she just let him fall?" I decided that this story sucked if Snowbird let the guy fall.

"What would you do?" he asked curiously.

"Not that I would ever ask a group of men to prove their love by doing something incredibly dangerous and stupid like that, but if I ever found myself in that situation, as unlikely—"

"Kat?" he chided.

"I would reach out and save him, of course. I couldn't let him fall to his death."

"But he didn't prove himself."

"That doesn't matter," I argued. "He was right behind her and how beautiful could you truly be if you let a man fall to his death just because he slipped? How could you even be capable of love or worthy of it, for that matter, if you let that happen?" He nodded. "Well, Snowbird thought like you."

Relieved, I smiled. If she hadn't, this would've been a pretty crappy romance story. "Good."

"Snowbird decided that the warrior was her equal and with that, her decision had been made. She grabbed the man before he could fall. The chief met them and was very pleased with his daughter's choice in mate. He granted their marriage and made the warrior his successor."

"So is that why the rocks are called Seneca Rocks? After the Indians and Snowbird?"

He nodded. "That's what the legend says."

"It's a beautiful story, but I think the whole climbing several hundred feet in the air to prove your love is a little excessive."

He chuckled. "I'd have to agree with you on that."

"I'd hope so or you'd find yourself playing with cars on an interstate to prove your love nowadays." I wanted to bite my tongue the minute the words were out of my mouth. I hope he didn't think I meant for me.

He gave me a hard look. "I don't foresee that happening."

"Can you get to where the Indians climbed from here?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head. "You could get to the canyon, but that's serious hiking. Not something I would suggest you doing by yourself."

I laughed at the thought. "Yeah, I don't think you have to worry about that. I wonder why the Indians came here. Were they looking for something?" I stepped around a large boulder. "It's hard to believe that a bunch of rocks brought them here."

"You never know." His lips pursed and he was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "People tend to look on the beliefs of the past as being primitive and unintelligent, yet we are seeing more truth in the past every day." I peered up at him, trying to gauge if he was being serious. He sounded much more mature than any boy our age. "What was it that made the rocks important again?"

He glanced down at me. "It's the type of rock…." His eyes widened suddenly. "Kitten?"

"Would you stop calling me—?"

"Be quiet," he hissed, gaze fixed over my shoulder. He placed his hand on my arm. "Promise me you won't freak out."

"Why would I freak out?" I whispered.

Tugging me toward him, he caught me off guard. I placed my hands on his chest to stop from tumbling over. His chest seemed to…hum under my hands. "Have you ever seen a bear?"

Dread pushed through my calm and blossomed. "What? There's a bear—?" I pulled out of his grasp and spun around.

Oh, yeah, there was a bear.

No more than fifteen feet from us, a big bear, black and furry, sniffed the air with its long whiskered muzzle. Its ears twitched at the sound of our breathing. For a moment I was kind of stunned. I'd never seen a bear, not in real life. There was something majestic about the creature. The way its muscles moved under the heavy coat of fur, how its dark eyes watched us as intently as we watched it.

The animal moved closer, stepping under the rays of light that broken through the branches overhead. The fur had turned a glossy black in the sunlight.

"Don't run," he whispered.

Like I could move even if I wanted to.

The bear made a half bark, half growl as he rose onto his hind legs, standing at least five feet tall. The next sound was an honest-to-God roar that sent shivers through me.

This wasn't good at all.

Daemon started yelling and waving his arms, but it didn't faze the bear. The animal dropped onto all fours, his massive shoulders shaking.

The bear rushed us.

Unable to breathe past the ball of fear choking me, I squeezed my eyes shut. Eaten alive by a bear was so wrong. I heard Daemon curse and even though my eyes were closed, a blinding flash of light pierced my thin eyelids. There was an accompanying blast of heat that blew my hair back. And then the flash came again, but darkness followed this time, swallowing me whole.


	9. Sitting In The Rain

**Hey guys, so I know that can get really annoying when people are constantly saying to review, but it is really helpful to have any advice or criticism, so I'm only going to say it this one time, PLEASE REVIEW! And I promise the story will change more from the original storyline, I just haven't gotten there yet. That's all for now. Enjoy!**

When I opened my eyes again, there was a strange metallic taste in my mouth. Rain smacked off the roof and thunder rolled in the distance. Lightning struck somewhere nearby, filling the air with a fine current of electricity. When did it start raining? The skies had been clear, blue, and perfect the last I remembered.

I drew in a shallow breath, confused.

My shoulder was pressed against something warm and hard. Turning my head, I felt the object rise up sharply and then slowly ease back down. It took me a second to realize it was a chest my cheek was pressed into. We were on the swing, his arm around my waist keeping me securely pinned to his side.

I didn't dare move.

Every inch of my body became aware of his. How his thigh was molded to mine. The deep, even breaths moving his stomach under my hand. How his hand curved around my waist, his thumb moving in idle, soothing circles at the hem of my shirt. Each circle inched the material up a little, exposing my skin until his thumb was against the curve of my waist. Flesh against flesh. I was hot and shivery. A feeling I had little experience with.

His hand stilled.

Pushing up, I looked into a pair of startling green eyes. "What…what happened?"

"You passed out," he said, pulling his arm away from my waist.

"I did?" I scooted back, putting distance between us as I brushed my tangled hair out of my face. The metallic taste was still on the roof of my mouth.

He nodded. "I guess the bear scared you. I had to carry you back."

"All the way?" Dammit. I missed that? "What…what happened to the bear?"

"The storm scared it. Lightning, I think." He frowned as he watched me. "Are you feeling okay?"

Suddenly, a bright streak of light blinded us for a moment. Moments later, booming thunder overshadowed the rain. Daemon's expression was cast in shadows.

I shook my head. "The bear was scared of a storm?"

"I guess so."

"We got lucky then," I whispered, glancing down. I was drenched as was Daemon. The rain was coming down even harder, making it difficult to see more than a couple of feet off the porch, giving the sense we were in our own private world. "It rains here like it does in Florida." I didn't know what else to say. My brain felt fried.

Daemon nudged my knee with his. "I think you may be stuck with me for a few more minutes."

"I'm sure I look like a drowned cat."

"You look fine. The wet look works for you."

I scowled. "Now I know you're lying."

He shifted beside me, and without a word, I felt his fingers lift my chin toward him. A crooked smile lifted his full lips. "I wouldn't lie about what I thought."

I wished I had something clever to say, maybe even a little flirty, but his intense stare sent any coherent thought scattering.

Confusion flashed in his eyes as he leaned forward, his lips parting slightly. "I think I understand now."

"Understand what?" I whispered.

"I like to watch you blush." His voice barely above a murmur as his thumb traced circles on my cheek.

He lowered his head, resting his forehead against mine. We sat like that, the two of us, caught in something that hadn't been there before. I think I stopped breathing. My heart seemed to take several stuttered steps and then freeze, anticipation welling up through me, threatening to spill over in any given second.

I didn't even like him. He didn't like me. This was insane, but it was happening.

Lightning struck again, this time much closer. The following snap of thunder didn't even startle us. We were in our own world. And then his crooked smile slipped from his face. His own eyes were confused and desperate, but still searching mine.

Time seemed to slow, every second stretching out before me, tantalizing and torturing every breath I took. Waiting, wanting to show him whatever he was looking for as his eyes darkened to a deep green. His face strained, as if he were waging an internal battle. Something in his eyes made me feel very unsure.

I knew the second he made up his mind. He took a deep breath and his beautiful eyes closed. I felt his breath against my cheek, slowly moving to my lips. I knew I should pull back. He was bad, bad news. But my own breath caught in my throat. His lips were so close to mine, I desperately wanted to meet him halfway, to rush forward to test if his lips were as pillow soft as they looked.

"Hey guys!" Dee called out.

Daemon jerked back, sliding in one fluid movement and putting a healthy distance between us on the swing.

I sucked in a sharp breath, surprise and disappointment churning in my stomach. My body was still tingling as if it had been deprived of oxygen. We'd been so absorbed in each other, neither of us had noticed the rain had stopped.

Dee came up the steps, her smile fading as her gaze went from her brother to me. She squinted her eyes. I was sure my face was blood red, making it obvious that she'd interrupted something. But she only stared at her brother, her lips forming a perfect, pouty O.

He grinned at her. The same lopsided grin that gave the impression that he was secretly laughing. "Hey, there, sis. What's up?"

"Nothing," she said, eyes narrowing. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," he replied, jumping from the swing. He glanced at me over one broad shoulder. "Just earning bonus points."

His words whipped through the pleasant haze as he hopped off the porch and ambled toward his own house. I glanced at Dee, wanting to chase after Daemon and dropkick him. "Was almost kissing me a part of the deal to get his keys back or to keep you happy?" My voice was tight. My skin hurt.

Dee sat beside me on the swing. "No. That was never a part of the deal." She blinked slowly. "Was he about to kiss you?"

I felt my cheeks burn even hotter. "I don't know."

"Wow," she murmured, her eyes wide. "That was unexpected."

And this was awkward. I didn't want to even think about what would've happened if she hadn't showed, and definitely not while she was sitting here. "Uh, you went to visit family?"

"Yeah, I had to before school started. Sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you. It kind of happened all of a sudden." Dee paused. "What were you and Daemon doing earlier…before the almost-kissing part?"

"We went on a walk. That's all."

"That's odd," she continued, watching me closely. "I had to steal his keys, but he got them back."

My face scrunched. "Yeah, thanks for that, by the way. There's nothing like a boy being blackmailed into hanging out with you to boost the self-esteem."

"Oh, no! It wasn't like that at all! I thought he needed…motivation to be nicer."

"He must really value his car," I muttered.

"Yeah…he does. Has he been spending a lot of time with you while I was gone?"

"We haven't spent that much time together. We went to the lake one day and then just today. That's all."

A curious look crossed her features, and then she smiled. "Did you guys have a good time?"

Unsure of how to answer, I shrugged. "Yeah, he was actually pretty decent. I mean, he has his moments, but it wasn't all bad." If I didn't count the fact he was being forced into spending time with me, had almost kissed me for bonus points.

"Daemon can be nice when he wants." Dee pushed back on the swing, using one foot on the floor to keep it moving. "Where did you guys go for a walk?"

"We followed one of the trails and talked, but then we saw a bear."

"A bear?" Her eyes widened. "Holy crap, what happened?'

"Uh, I sort of passed out or something."

Dee stared at me. "You passed out?"

I flushed. "Yeah, Daemon carried me back to the porch and yeah, well, the rest is whatever."

She was watching me closely again, curious. Then she shook her head. Changing the subject, she asked if she'd missed anything else while she was gone. I filled her in while my mind was completely elsewhere. Dee mentioned something about watching a movie later before she left. I think I agreed.

Long after I'd gone inside and pulled on a pair of old sweats, I was still confused over Daemon. He'd seemed almost likeable during our hike before flashing back to Super Douche. Flushing and frustrated, I flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

There was a network of tiny cracks in the plaster. My gaze traveled over them as my mind replayed the events leading up to the "almost kiss." My stomach flipped thinking about how close his lips had been to mine. Worse yet was the knowledge that I had wanted him to kiss me. Like and lust must not have anything in common.


	10. A Heart To Heart

"Let me get this straight." Dee frowned from where she'd perched herself on the old recliner in desperate need of being reupholstered. "You have no idea where you want to go to college?"

I groaned. "I don't even know what I'm going to do."

"Yeah, well, you're entering your senior year." Dee paused for a second. "Don't you guys start applying as soon as school starts?"

"Shouldn't you be applying? You're one of 'us,' too." The interest that had been sparkling in her eyes dulled. "Yeah, but we're talking about you."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "I haven't decided what I want to do. So I don't see the need to pick a school."

"But every school offers the same thing. You could pick a place—any place you wanted to go. California, New York, Colorado—oh, you could even go overseas! That would be awesome. That's what I'd do. I'd go somewhere in England."

"You can," I reminded her.

Dee lowered her eyes. She shrugged. "No, I can't."

"Why not?" I pulled my legs up and crossed them. It didn't seem as though money was a problem for them, not when you looked at the cars they drove or the clothes they wore. I'd asked her if she had a job, and she'd said she had a monthly allowance that kept her cushy. Parental remorse at always staying in the city for work and all. Nice gig if you can get it.

I've been working to get money since the age of 14, so there was pretty much no chance of me ever getting a new car. Nope. I'd have to keep on loving my little sedan, rust and all. Point A to Point B, I always reminded myself. "You can go wherever you want, Dee." Dee's smile was tinged with sadness. "I'll probably stay here when I graduate. Maybe enroll in one of those online universities."

At first I thought she was joking. "You're being serious?"

"Yeah, I'm kind of stuck here."

I was intrigued by the idea of someone being stuck anywhere. "What's sticking you?"

"My family is here," she said quietly, looking up. "Anyway, that movie we watched last night gave me nightmares. I hate the whole idea of a haunted house with ghosts in it, watching you sleep." Her swift change of subject didn't pass me by. "Yeah, that movie was pretty creepy."

Dee made a face. "It reminds me of Daemon. He used to stand over me when I was sleeping, because he thought it was funny." Her delicate shoulders shuddered. "I'd get so mad at him! I don't care how deep of a sleep I was in, I could still feel him staring at me and I'd wake up. He would laugh and laugh." I smiled at the image of Daemon as a little boy teasing his twin. That picture was completely replaced by the full-grown Daemon. I sighed, beyond frustrated, and closed the magazine.

I hadn't seen him since the evening on my porch, but it was only Monday. Two days without seeing him seemed commonplace. And it wasn't as if I wanted to see him.

Looking up, I watched Dee flip to the back of her magazine. She always did that, going to the horoscopes in the back. She held her right hand against her chin, tapping her lips with one painted purple nail.

The finger blurred, nearly fading out. Air around her seemed to hum.

She really had to stop doing that in front of me, what if she did it at school? I threw the magazine aside. "I need to go to the library. I need new books to read."

"We can plan a trip and go book shopping." She hopped in her chair, excited all over again. "I want to check out that book you reviewed on your blog the week before you moved here. The one with the kids with superpowers." My little heart did a happy dance. She'd read my blog. I didn't even remember telling her the name. "That would be fun, but I was thinking about going to the library tonight. I can't beat it when it's free. Do you want to come with me?"

"Tonight?" she questioned, eyes widening. "I can't tonight, but I can go tomorrow night."

"It's no big deal if you can't go. I've been thinking about going for a couple of days, but I keep putting it off, and I need brain candy before I have to read school stuff."

Dark hair swung around her impish face as she shook her head. "Oh, it's no big deal. I don't mind going with you. I can't go tonight. I have plans already. If I didn't, I'd go."

"It's ok, Dee. I can go to the library alone, and then we can go shopping later. I pretty much know my way around town now. Not as if I can get lost or anything. It's only like…five blocks." I paused, and then quickly asked about her plans for the evening, trying to change the subject.

Dee's lips were firm. "Nothing, just friends are back in town."

My innocent question obviously put her on the spot, and she seem-ed reluctant to say what she was actually doing. She shifted on the recliner, focused on her nails. I felt like I'd pried, but I didn't understand how that question could have made her uncomfortable. There was also a part of me hurt and disappointed I wasn't included.

"I hope you guys have fun tonight," I lied. Well, not a real lie. But at least half of a lie. I'm not proud of it, but there you have it. Right or wrong, I felt left out.

Dee squirmed in her seat as she watched me. Her eyes squinted, much like they'd done the day on the porch. "I think you should wait until I can go with you. There have been a couple of girls who've gone missing recently." Going to the library wasn't going to a house that cooked meth, but I remembered the missing poster I'd seen the other day and shrugged. "Okay, I'll think about."

Dee stayed until it was nearly time for my mom to go to work. On the way out, she stopped at the edge of the porch. "Really, if you can wait until tomorrow night, I'll go to the library with you." I agreed once more and gave her a quick hug. I missed her the moment she left. The house was too quiet without her.


	11. The Library

**Hey guys, it's me again. I'm sorry I haven't been updating, but I promise I will update more often. I also wanted to say thank for all of the wonderful reviews. I wanted to let you guys know that I will be finishing this, and possibly writing a sequel as well. I also wanted your opinion on if I should write another fanfic of this same story, in Daemon's point of view. I thought that it could be interesting, but let me know what you think. That's all for now. I hope you like it!**

After dinner, I headed out. It didn't take very long to get into town and find the library again. The streets, which during the few times I had been in town had always been populated, were now pretty much deserted. On the ride down, the skies had started to cloud over, too, giving the entire downtown an eerie ghost town feeling.

In spite of the weirdness that was my life at the moment and the lingering icky feeling I felt over Dee not inviting me out with her friends, I smiled as I walked into the library. Thoughts of the twins and everything else vanished as I rounded the corner of the quiet library and saw stacks of books lining the walls. As with gardening, in the stillness of the library, I felt at peace.

Stopping by one of the empty tables, I let out a little breath of happiness. I was always able to lose myself in reading. Books were a necessary escape I always gladly jumped into headfirst.

Time passed faster than I realized, and the library took on a gloomy aura. Libraries were always shadowy as daylight ended, but the unnatural darkening of the sky outside added to the creepy feeling. I didn't know how late it was until the librarian turned off most of the lights, and I was having trouble making my way back to the front desk. By then, I couldn't wait to be out of the drafty and creaky place.

A flash of lightning lit up the bookshelves and thunder rolled outside the windows. I hoped I could make it to my car before it started pouring. Clutching the books I wanted to check out to my chest, I hurried to the front desk. I was done in record time, barely having the time to say thank you before the librarian turned her back and dashed off to lock up.

"Well then," I muttered under my breath.

The impending storm had turned dusk to night, making it seem much later than it was. Outside, the streets were still barren. I looked behind me, thinking about staying until the rain passed, but the final light in the library snicked off.

I gritted my teeth and shoved my books into my backpack before heading out. I stepped out onto the pavement, and the sky opened in a torrential downpour, soaking me within seconds. I tried my best to keep my backpack from getting wet as I fumbled with my keys and hopped back and forth. The rain was freaking freezing!

"Excuse me, miss?" A gravelly voice interrupted my struggles. "I was hoping you could help me?"

Intent on getting the door open and the books out of the rain, I didn't hear anyone approach. I shoved my backpack into the car and tightened the hold on my purse as I turned toward the sound. A man came out of the shadows and stood under the streetlight. Rain coursed down his light-colored hair, plastering the longish strands to his head. His wire-framed glasses slipped down the bridge of his crooked nose as he stood with his arms wrapped around his chest, his thin body shivering slightly. I felt ill. He was an arum.

"My car back there," he gestured behind him, shouting a bit to be heard over the rain pounding against the hood, "has a flat tire. I was hoping you had a tire iron."

I did, but there was no way I was going to give it to him. Part of me wanted to leave him there with an apology, but I knew that it would be better if I fought him, or else he'd hunt me down again.

My decision made, I forced a weak smile. "I can check. I may have one."

The man beamed. "You would be a savior if you did." He stayed where he was, not moving any closer, probably sensing my initial distrust. "The rain seems to be letting off, but by those dark clouds coming in I think we may be in for a heck of a storm." I shut the driver's side door and headed to the rear of the car. Opening the trunk, I ran my hand along the carpeted bottom, searching for the blade I kept there. "I think I may have one, to be honest." My back was to the stranger for only a few seconds when I felt a rush of chilly air stir the hair at the back of my neck. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, sending my heart slamming against my ribs and painful tendrils of fear burrowing through my stomach.

"Humans are so stupid, so gullible." His voice was as cold as the wind on my neck.

Before my brain could register his words, an icy, wet hand closed over mine in a painful grip. His breath was sticky against my neck, striking a chord of finality. I didn't even have a chance to respond.

He lowered his head, sniffing my hair. A shudder of revulsion rolled through me. He hissed. "I was right. You have their trace." He moved his hand from my mouth and gripped my shoulders. "Where are they?"

"I…I don't understand," I choked out, understanding completely.

Using my hand, he swung me around. A cry escaped my throat as pain shot up my arm. I was face to face with him now, and he seemed to have grown taller—broader.

The stranger smiled and then pushed me. Hard. The impact of the rough asphalt knocked the air out of me and jarred my wrist in scorching pain.

"Of course you don't." His face contorted with disgust. "You're nothing but a stupid, walking mammal. Worthless."

"Tell me where they are." Each word was bitten out.

His voice sounded muffled, as though underwater, or maybe that was me. Maybe I was drowning.

"Fine," he spat. "Maybe you need a little encouragement."

I didn't have the strength to turn into full luxen but I did create a small glow, quickly using my newfound strength to kick him straight in the stomach area where I knew it would hurt the most for him. My mind was on autopilot, grabbing the blade hanging from around my neck, and sending it flying into body quickly splitting it into millions of pieces until the arum's body disappeared altogether.

I made my way back to my car, replacing my blade back around my neck. When I got back home, I checked my injuries. I had only ever fought one other arum before and this one was much harder to kill.

I looked at my wrist figuring that it was probably broken, or sprained because it hurt like hell, but I couldn't tell for sure. It was ugly, hanging limp at an awkward angle and very bruised. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be using that wrist for a while. I decided to just ice it and figure the rest out tomorrow since I was exhausted and it was getting really late.


	12. Catching Up With Friends

I woke up the next morning with an even worse pain in my wrist and up my arm. When I tried to get out of my bed, I screamed from the pain in my back, lying back down on it. I knew that I would have to get my injuries checked out, but I couldn't exactly go to the hospital because that would raise too many questions on how I got so injured in the first place. Questions that I wouldn't be able to answer.

I decided to instead call a family friend. Amy was completely human, but knew all about luxen and their powers/abilities, whatever you want to call them. She was also a doctor. But in order to call her, i'd need a phone. A phone that was on the dresser on the other side of the room. Which also meant that I would have to get out of bed to reach the phone.

It took a half hour. To get out of bed without screaming in pain, walk across the room, and to get the phone. I walked into the kitchen very slowly and dialed the number.

(Bold= Amy Underline= Katy)

" **Hello?"**

"Hi Amy, it's Katy"

" **Oh Katy! What do you need sweetie?"**

"I got into a bit of an accident yesterday and was wondering if you could take a look at my injuries?"

" **Of course! Where are you?"**

"Ketterman, West Virginia. Probably the most off-the-grid town on the planet."

" **Ok. I'm in California right now but i'll catch the next flight over. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"**

"Sounds good. Thanks Amy."

" **Anytime sweetheart."**

I hung up the phone and sighed.

Now i just had to survive a day until Amy got here. The hard part would be avoiding Daemon and Dee. Avoiding Daemon would be easy but I didn't want Dee to think that I didn't want to be her friend anymore. Unfortunately, there was no possible way that I would be able to hang out with Dee without raising any questions about what happened to me.

I decided to clean myself up a bit, so I slowly made my way to the bathroom to take a shower. After all the blood had been scraped off, I looked a lot better, but I felt a lot worse. Shooting pains were going through my wrist and up my arm every time I moved it, my back killed constantly, and I was pretty sure that I had torn my ACL in left leg, but I couldn't be sure. Either way though, it killed.

I iced my wrist, arm, leg, and back. Avoiding Daemon and Dee wasn't going to be as hard as it seemed. I had yet to hear from either one of them, but I figured Dee was probably still with her friends and Daemon was probably kicking puppies or something.

I went back upstairs to my room, struggling to get up each step, nearly crying with the pain that came with each movement. When I finally made it up the steps it was a relief. I had been in much worse pain than this on several occasions, one of which I came very close to dying, so it wasn't like I wasn't accustomed to pain, but it had been a while since I was this injured.

I spent the rest of the day uninterrupted by neither Daemon or Dee in my room except for when I was going to get something to eat. I went to sleep soon after heating up an easy mac and finishing it.

The next morning I awoke to see that Amy had already arrived. I saw her setting up her medical supplies in my room, getting them out of one of her three suitcases. She saw that I was awake and went to go hug me as I tried to sit up. My back apparently wasn't appreciating the effort because I quickly cried out in pain and layed back into my bed groaning.

After I had greeted Amy, she quickly went to work starting with my arm and wrist because it was easiest to do while I was laying down in my bed. Apparently I had torn a tendon in my right arm and as I had suspected, broke my right wrist. She told me that it would take two months max to heal my entire arm, but most likely only a couple of weeks, especially since I was part luxen so my body tended to heal faster than normal humans.

She told me that I was lucky that it wasn't a severe tear or it could've taken a lot longer to heal. She checked out my left knee next and almost immediately told me that I had torn my ACL. Apparently the trouble I had walking, the extreme swelling and the immense pain in my knee were all dead giveaways. She told me that I would have to get surgery but that I wouldn't have to stay overnight in the hospital, which I was very thankful for. I hated hospitals. Amy also told me that she had a friend at a nearby hospital that still owed her from a couple of years ago, so she could probably get her to let Amy do the surgery so there wouldn't be any questions asked.

Finally, she helped me to sit up, so that she could check out my back. She said that I only had a lumbosacral sprain in my back, which meant that the pain would be the worst for the first couple days, and then the pain would mostly go away even though it would still be healing for several weeks afterwards.

After she finished examining me she went downstairs to get me some ice and also make me breakfast. She said that tomorrow she would be able to complete the surgery on my knee and get me everything that I would need for my injuries. She told me that she would try and get me some pain meds and that I would need some sort of brace on my knee.

I groaned when she said that because school would be starting in five days and I really didn't want to have to go to school with people asking me about why I had a knee brace on. The good news was that the pain in my back would most likely be gone by then, but she said my arm and wrist would still be no good for at least a couple of weeks.

She recommended me getting a cast on my arm, but I disagreed. I would already get enough stares with being the new kid and having a knee brace. A cast on my arm would just make it worse. I heard the clanging of pots and pans downstairs and that's when I remembered that Amy couldn't cook. I was already sitting up in my bed, so it wasn't too painful to get up and limp downstairs and into the kitchen.

Amy = **Bold** Katy = Underline

" **Katy, you shouldn't have gotten up, I told you I was going to make you breakfast, Amy exclaimed, as she continued making a mess of my kitchen.**

"Amy, I appreciate the effort, but your cooking is lethal. Literally, I think I almost died the last time I ate your scrambled eggs."

" **My cooking is not lethal! And I refuse to let you cook when you can barely stand."**

"I walked all the way downstairs, didn't I? And besides, you are the guest in my house. You should not be cooking for me anyway."

" **First, you did not walk downstairs, you limped, and second, I will not allow you cook for me when you are injured! And my cooking is completely fine anyway."**

"Is not," I argued back.

" **Is too."**

It went on like this for another half hour before I finally just started making some scrambled eggs that _wouldn't_ kill anybody, while Amy continued arguing with me. Sometimes she acted so much like a mother to me, in fact after mom and dad died, she practically was our mother.

We finished eating breakfast and Amy left to see her friend that worked in the hospital, while I just went into the living room to lie back down, not wanting to go through the pain of walking back up the steps.


	13. But I Don't Want To

Chapter 13

Amy= **Bold** Katy= Underline

" **Alright, so my friend agreed to let me use the operation room, but we have to leave it exactly how we found it," Amy said, bounding into the kitchen with bags of groceries hanging on her arms.**

"That's good," I replied, my voice still groggy from sleep.

" **Yup."**

 _Silence._

" **Soooo, we leave in twenty."**

"What!," I nearly screamed, "What do you mean we leave in twenty?"

" **Well..."**

"I am so going to kill you after this."

*************** _1 hour after the operation_ ***************

"Absolutely not!"

" **Come on, just stop being stubborn Katy."**

"I'm not the one that's being stubborn here!"

" **All you have to do is wear the knee brace and go to therapy twice a week."**

"School starts in two days, Amy. Two days! I cannot wear a knee brace to school, or my neighbors, you know, the _luxen_ , will want to know what could have possibly happened to me. And if they start getting curious, then they'll start asking questions. Questions that I won't be able to answer!"

" **You'll be fine Katy. I have faith that you can survive," Amy stated, (rather sarcastically if you ask me).**

"Fine, I'll wear the stupid knee brace and go to therapy, but there is absolutely no way in hell I will wear that cast on my arm."

" **Fine, I suppose that's the best that I was going to get from you anyway. Besides, I can stay for another couple of days to make sure that you actually wear it.**

"I thought you would have to go back to work?"

" **I was actually on vacation, so it was good timing for you to call. I don't actually have to be back at work for another week, but I want to go see Jason on my way back."**

"Jason? I haven't seen him in forever. Tell him I said hi and to visit me soon when you see him."

" **I will."**

"Great. Now that that's settled can we get out of this hospital? I hate hospitals."

" **Sure. Let me just finish cleaning up in here."**

By the time we finally got home from the hospital I was pretty much dead on my feet, which is kind of funny if you think about it because I was unconscious for the entire operation, so you would think that I would be more rested instead of more tired.

I limped over to the couch where I stayed for the next hour while Amy ran out on some errand. I was surprised that Dee hadn't stopped by at all. In fact, when I actually thought about it, I hadn't seen neither Daemon, or Dee since before the incident with the arum. I decided to think about it later because I was too exhausted to think straight at the moment.

I was nearly asleep, when the phone rang. Groaning, I made my way over to the phone, careful not to hurt my knee or my arm in the process.

Katy=underline Ashley= **Bold**

"Hello?" I answered when I finally got to the phone.

" **Katy?" whispered a frantic voice.**

"Ashley?"

" **I'm really scared Katy, they did something awful to mom and dad. I don't know who they are, but they did something to mom and dad and then they left, and they took mom and dad with them, and I don't know what to do. I'm scared Katy," Ashley whimpered into the phone.**

"Did they see you?" I asked, already hearing the rising panic in my voice.

" **I don't think so," Ashley whispered.**

"I'm going to come get you okay? Everything will be alright, just stay put and don't freak out, i'll be there as soon as I can."

" **Okay," she croaked.**

 _Sorry for the short chapter, I hope you enjoyed it though. Things to come: Who is Ashley? What will happen when Katy brings Ashley to live with her? Will Daemon and Dee find out? And what will happen when Ashley runs out into the middle of the road and doesn't see the truck coming straight at her?_

 _ **DON'T** **WORRY!** **THIS** **WILL** **BE** **A** **KATY** **AND** **DAEMON** **STORY!**_


	14. Meet The Family

Chapter 14

 _***** Time Skip To Two Days Before School Starts *****_

I woke up to the sound of a small voice whimpering. Using luxen speed, I quickly went downstairs to see what was wrong. I sighed when I realized Ashley was just having a nightmare. Careful to not wake her up, I took Ashley in my arms on the couch. The past few days had been rough for her. The day she called me, I had gotten to her house as quickly as I could, terrified as to what was going on. I knew that arum had been there as soon as I had arrived.

Luxen have almost like a 6th sense for sensing arum that had changed into their true forms. Unfortunately, we couldn't sense them when they hadn't been in their true forms, so we were still caught off guard a lot.

I quickly made my way into the house, not sensing any arum nearby, but knowing they had been there. I soon found Ashley rocking in the corner of the room, behind the couch, silent tears streaking down her face. Ashley was my seven year old cousin, and was like me. Her mom was a hybrid and her dad was a luxen, but for some reason, when she was born she didn't become an origin. Instead, like me, she was half human, half luxen, but she was still able to get a trace. Nobody knew why we hadn't become origins, but it happened to almost everybody in my family. The only way Ashley was different from me was that she was born with a brother and a sister instead of two sisters. Unfortunately, her brother had died during birth, leaving her with only her sister. Again, like me it was only her that was part luxen. Her sister, Sophie was completely human.

I asked her what was wrong, and through her whimpers I figured out what had happened. Some arum had come into the house and had taken her mom and dad (and my aunt and uncle) and then left, not noticing her hiding behind the couch. Because Ashley is part luxen, she looked like a seven year old, but was probably as smart as a thirteen year old. So she knew what had happened to her mom and dad and understood the possibility of them never coming back. Sophie, on the other hand wouldn't have known what was going on.

"Where is Sophie?," I had asked her once she told me the story. "She was sleeping when I came down here, but I don't know if she still is. We sleep in the same room, and when I came down here to see what was going on, she was still asleep," Ashley explained.

"Okay. Here's what we're going to do. We are going to go upstairs and get Sophie, and then once we get her, i'll take you both over to my house, and i'll figure out what to do after that. Sound good?," I asked, trying to reassure her.

"What about mom and dad?," she asked, "What do we tell Sophie?"

That was a good question. I knew that we shouldn't tell her about the arum kidnapping her parents. My mom and dad had only told Lily and Bethany about arum and the D.O.D. when they turned 14, though they had known about my abilities from the beginning.

"We'll just tell her that your parents went on vacation for a little while, and so you guys are going to sleep over at my house while they're gone. Okay?"

"Okay," she whispered, and I felt horrible, making her lie to her own sister, but we couldn't explain to Sophie what had happened. I knew that I just put a big burden on Ashley's shoulders. No seven year old shouldn't have to lie to her own sister about her parents being kidnaped, but unfortunately, we had no other choice.

We went upstairs where luckily, we found Sophie still asleep in her bed. I carried her carefully in my arms down the steps, not wanting to wake her. By the time we finally got home, Ashley had fallen asleep in the car, so I had to carry both Ashley and Sophie into the house. I lay them down carefully in my bed and then went downstairs, waiting for Amy to come home.

When Amy got home, I explained the situation to her and she agreed that we should tell Sophie that her parents were on vacation. In the morning, we explained this to Sophie, and to our relief, she believed us even though I could tell she was still a little suspicious that her parents had just left in the middle of the night with no warning.

Now, it was two days before school was starting and things had been hectic. I had to get Ashley and Sophie signed up for school, take them(and myself) back to school shopping, etc. I had gone back to their house and gotten their clothes and some of their toys and moved them into the guest bedroom downstairs. By this time, Amy had left, even though she insisted that it would be okay if she stayed, I told her to go, and that we would be fine here. In the meantime, we would try and figure out where the arum had took their parents.

Still, we had run into neither Daemon, or Dee anywhere. It had probably been at least a week since I had seen either of them, and I wondered why Dee hadn't stopped by or at least called. Part of me was offended that Dee hadn't called or stopped by in the past week, put a much larger part of me was relieved. I loved Dee, but she would ask too many questions about Ashley and Sophie, and why I was wearing a knee brace and couldn't write with my right hand.

Anyway, I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Ashley Ashley whimpering in her bed. I went downstairs using my luxen speed to make sure nothing was wrong and I sighed when I realized that she was having another nightmare. I carefully took her into my arms on the couch and stroked her back softly. She had been having nightmares about her parents every night since I had brought her and Sophie to my house.

I rocked her gently in my arms until she stopped whimpering and then tried to fall asleep. I was still awake when I realized it was already three in the morning, and I decided to just give up on trying to go to sleep. I stayed on the couch with Ashley until Sophie walked into the room clutching her stuffed animal teddy bear tight to her chest.

"Is Ashley having another nightmare?," she asked quietly.

"Yes, but she's okay now. Do you want some breakfast?," I asked her.

"Yeah."

"Okay, how about this. We can wake up Ashley together and then you guys can help me make cinnamon buns for breakfast."

"Yay! I love cinnamon buns! And after we eat breakfast can we go to the park?"

"Sure, whatever you guys want to do!" I told her glad to see her smile.

We woke up Ashley and then made an absolute disaster in the kitchen as they helped me make cinnamon buns. I was never the best cook to begin with, so adding two seven year olds into the mix, definitely did not help anything. I carefully took them out of the oven and frosted them as Ashley and Sophie eagerly sat down at the kitchen table, squirming in anticipation. While I was frosting them, Sophie was telling Ashley about our plans to go to the park.

I gave them each a cinnamon bun and watched as they each bit into them, and saw their faces light up. I laughed as I reached over with a napkin to wipe the frosting off of Sophie's nose. Just when I was about to bite into my own cinnamon bun, the doorbell rang.

As I walked over to go answer the door, I wondered who it could be. I opened the door, and was surprised to see Dee standing outside of it. She smiled, her eyes hooded with guilt.

"Hi, I hope I didn't interrupt anything," she said almost shyly.

"No, don't worry about it, I was just eating breakfast. You're welcome to come in if you would like," I told her opening the door wider.

"Okay, thanks, I just came by to ask you if you wanted to go to the park with me. I'm sorry I haven't stopped by recently, I've just been really busy, and I had to go out of town for something, I hope you didn't think I was avoiding you, because I wasn't...," Dee babbled on.

"Don't worry about it, and I'd love to go to the park with you." I told her, putting an end to her babbling. "I was planning on taking Ashley and Sophie to the park anyway."

"That's great! But who's Ashley and Sophie?"

"Follow me," I told her and walked back towards the kitchen, with Dee towing along behind me, to find Ashley and Sophie sitting in their chairs with frosting smeared all over their faces, laughing. When I entered the kitchen, they turned their heads towards me.

"Dee, this is my seven year old cousin Ashley, and her twin sister, Sophie," I told her pointing each sibling out.

"Ashley and Sophie, this is my neighbor, Dee," I told them.

"Ashley and Sophie are living with me for a little bit, while their parents are on vacation," I explained to Dee.

"That's cool," she said, smiling at the twins.

I explained to the twins that Dee would be going to the park with us, and then went to go get dressed, just noticing now that I was still in my pajamas. When I came back downstairs, Dee was joking and laughing with the twins. I smiled. Dee had such a great personality I knew that she would get along great with them. Daemon, on the other hand not so much. I ushered the twins upstairs to get them dressed while Dee waited patiently downstairs.

Immediately after I had gotten Sophie changed and downstairs, Ashley whispered, "She's a luxen!"

"I know, but make sure you don't use your powers in front of her when we go to the park, okay? She doesn't know that I am part luxen. She thinks thinks that I am completely human. Same with her brother Daemon."

"But...," Ashley started.

"No.," I told her gently, "I don't want her finding out about us okay?"

"Okay," she said, frowning slightly.

"Good. Now hurry up and get dressed so we can go to the park."

"Okay!" she said, much more cheerfully this time.

 **Hey guys! I hope you like the chapter, I tried to make it a little longer, because I know that I haven't updated much lately. Somebody mentioned making a fanfic of this story in Daemon's point of view. I just wanted to say that I completely agree and I will probably make the sequel to this story in Daemon's point of view. If anybody else has any requests for fanfics or ideas for the next chapter, I'd be happy to hear them as well. I also just wanted to say that I know that some people won't update until they get a certain number of reviews, and I am not one of those people. I also know that people who are constantly asking for reviews can get super annoying(no offense if you are one of them) so I will try not to constantly be asking for reviews, but it does help me if you guys have any ideas or feedback on the story, so if you guys have any extra time please review! In addition, if anybody has any criticism, please let me know, I promise I won't be offended, and I'm not very good at grammar(I try my best), so if you notice anything that I should fix please let me know. That's all for now.**


	15. The Restaurant

Chapter 15

The day before school was scheduled to start, Dee took me and the twins into town to pick up notebooks and other school supplies while she replaced almost everything she used for school with a new item. We only had one more day of vacation and then we had Labor Day. I was already yearning for it. Before we headed home, Dee was hungry as usual, and we stopped at one of her favorite places.

"It's quite a…quaint restaurant," I said.

Dee smirked, her sandaled foot continuously tapping. "Quaint? It would be quaint to a big city gal like you, but it's the place to be here."

I stole another quick glance around. It was easy to tell that there were more than a few luxen in the room. The Smoke Hole Diner wasn't bad; it was actually kind of cute in an earthy, down-home way, and I did like the clusters of rocks and stones that jutted out around the table's edge.

"It's a lot busier in the evening and after school," she added between sips. "It's hard to get a seat then."

"You come here often?" I found it kind of hard to imagine beautiful Dee hanging out here, eating hot turkey sandwiches and drinking milkshakes.

But there she was, on her second hot turkey sandwich and her third milkshake. Ever since I met Dee, I had been constantly amazed by the amount of food she could consume in one sitting. It was actually a little disturbing.

"Daemon and I come here at least once a week for their lasagna. It is to die for!" Her eyes lit up with a mixture of excitement and longing.

I laughed. "You must love their food, but thanks for inviting us out today. I'm glad to get out of the house."

She nodded, toying with her straw. Then she paused, her lips pursed as she looked over my shoulder.

"What?" I asked, turning to see what she was looking at and turned back around to face her as fast as I could. It was Daemon.

Dee's head was cocked to the side, her dark hair falling carelessly around her. "I didn't know he would be here."

"Oh, man, it's he who shall not be named."

Laughter erupted from Dee, drawing attention from everyone in the diner. "Ah, that was funny."

I sunk in my seat. After the, incident with the bear, he'd avoided me and that was fine. Daemon might be the most physically flawless male I'd ever seen—his face was something that any artist would die to get a chance to sit and sketch—no light reflected badly off him. But he could also be the biggest jerk on the planet.

"He's not going to come over here, right?" I whispered to Dee, who suddenly looked very amused.

"Hello, sis."

I sucked in a deep breath at the sound of his husky voice. I slid my bandaged arm under the table and crossed my right leg over my left, hoping that he wouldn't notice I was injured. I was positive if he saw it, he would be suspicious. Luckily, Dee was sitting across from me with Ashley, so she couldn't see my injuries.

"Hey there," Dee said as she rested her chin on her hand. "What are you doing here today?"

"I'm hungry," he responded dryly. "This is where people come to eat, isn't it?"

I stared very intently at my half-eaten burger and fries, moving them around on my plate, praying to whoever was listening that I could fade into the rustic-colored booths until he left. I forced myself to think about anything—books, television shows, movies, Daemon, the grass outside—

"That is, except you, who must come here to play with her food?"

Aw, dammit. I plastered the brightest smile I could muster and steeled myself. My smile faltered the instant I met his eyes. He looked at me expectantly, as if he knew what I was really thinking, wanted me to fight back. "Yeah, see my mom normally takes me out to Chuck E. Cheese's for dinner so I'm a little out of my element. Missing the ball pen and all." Dee snorted and looked up at her brother. "Isn't she great?"

"Just lovely." He crossed his arms, his tone as dry as ever. "Who are they?" he asked, pointing towards the twins.

"That's Ashley, and this is Sophie. Their parents are on vacation, so I'm watching them while they're gone," I explained, hoping he would go away soon.

"Are you going to join us? We were just about finished."

It was Daemon's turn to snort. "No, thank you," running a hand through a mess of black waves.

I returned to poking my food around on my plate. As if the idea of eating with us was the most absurd thing.

"Well, that's too bad." Dee didn't miss a beat.

"Daemon, you're here already!"

I glanced up at the sound of a very excited female. A small, pretty blonde waved from the main entrance. Another luxen, just wonderful. Daemon waved back, not as joyously, and I watched as she practically bounced over to our table. When she reached Daemon she stretched up and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek before wrapping a possessive arm around his.

An ugly, hot feeling unfurled in my belly. He had a girlfriend? I glanced at Dee. His sister didn't look happy.

The girl finally looked down at our table. "Hey, Dee, how are you doing?"

Dee returned her smile with a very tight one. "Great Ash, how have you been?"

"I've been really good." She nudged Daemon as if that was a private joke between the two of them.

I couldn't breathe.

"I thought you were leaving again?" Dee asked, her usually warm eyes turning sharp. "With your brothers and coming back when school starts?"

"Changed my mind." She glanced up at Daemon again, who was beginning to shift uncomfortably.

"Hmm, interesting," Dee responded, her expression taking on a very catlike quality. "Oh, how rude of me. Ash, this is Katy, Ashley, and Sophie." She gestured over at me and the twins. "Katy's new to our exciting little town."

I forced myself to smile at the girl. I had no reason to be jealous or to care, but damn, this girl was pretty.

Ash's smile faded. She took a step back. "This is her?"

My eyes darted to Dee.

"I can't do this, Daemon. Maybe you guys can be okay with this, but I'm not." Ash tossed her blonde hair back with a tan hand. "This is wrong."

Daemon sighed. "Ash…"

Her full lips thinned. "No."

"Ash, you don't even know her." Dee came to her feet. "You're being ridiculous."

The traffic in the diner literally stopped. Everyone stared.

I felt heat, a mixture of embarrassment and anger, creep across my face as I stared at Ash. "I'm sorry, but did I do something?"

Ash's extraordinarily bright blue eyes fixed on me. "Yeah, how about breathing, for starters?"

"Excuse me?" I said.

"You heard me," Ash snapped. Then she turned to Daemon. "Is this why everything is going to shit in a handbasket? Why my brothers are running around the country—"

"That's enough." Daemon grabbed Ash's arm. "There's a McDonald's down the street. We'll get you a Happy Meal. Maybe that'll make you happier."

"What's going to shit?" I demanded. The urge to get up and rip out her hair was hard to ignore.

Ash's glare burned into me like twin lasers. "Everything is going to shit."

"Well, this was fun." Daemon cocked a brow at his sister. "I'll see you at home."

I watched them leave, boiling with anger. But under that anger was also hurt.

Dee plopped back in the seat. "Oh, my God, I'm sorry. She's a complete bitch."

I looked at her as my hands shook. "Why did she say those things to me?"

"I don't know. She might be jealous." Dee toyed with her straw, not meeting my eyes. "Ash has a thing for Daemon, always had. They used to date."

My brain got hung up on the words 'used to' for a second.

"Anyway, you're gorgeous. Of course she's going to hate you."

"Are you serious?" I didn't believe her. "All of that because she's jealous!" Frustrated, I slammed my arm down on the table and winced. "And Daemon treats me like I'm a total terrorist. Ridiculous."

"He doesn't hate you," she replied quietly. "I think he wants to, to be honest. But he doesn't. That's why he acts like that."

That made no sense to me. "Why would he want to hate me? I don't want to hate him, but he makes it hard not to."

Dee glanced up, her eyes full of tears. "Kat, I'm sorry. My family is a little weird. So is this town. So is Ash. See, her family is…is a friend of our family. And all of us have a lot in common." I stared at her, waiting for her to explain how in the hell that had anything to do with Ash's bitchiness. I got it, how they were luxen and everything, but did Ash really need to overreact that much?

"They're triplets, you know?" Dee sat back against the booth, staring listlessly at her plate. "She has two brothers, Adam and Andrew."

"So there is a set of triplets here and you guys are twins?"

Her face scrunched up as she must be a lot of luxen in this town. I don't know much about luxen except for what my parents had told me, which wasn't much seeing that they wanted me to grow up with a normal childhood.

"In a town with a population of, like, five hundred?" I asked.

"I know, it's weird," she said, glancing up. "But we do have it in common and all of us are kind of tight-knit. Small towns don't do well with weird. And I'm sort of dating her brother Adam."

I gaped. "You have a boyfriend?" When she nodded, I shook my head. "You've never mentioned him before."

She shrugged, looking away. "It's not something I thought about bringing up. We don't see each other a lot."

I clamped my mouth shut. What girl doesn't talk about her boyfriend? If I had one, I'd talk about him, at least mention him once. Maybe twice. I stared at Dee with new eyes, wondering how much more she wasn't telling me. Sitting back, my gaze drifted beyond Dee, and it was like a switch being thrown.

I started noticing things—little things.

Like how the redheaded waitress with a pencil stuck in her bun kept glancing over at me and touching the shiny, black gemstone on her necklace. Then there was the old man sitting at the bar, food untouched, staring at us while muttering under his breath. He looked a bit crazy. My eyes flitted around the diner. A lady in a business suit caught my eye. She sneered and turned back to her companion. He glanced over his shoulder, and his face paled.

Quickly, I turned back to Dee. She looked oblivious to it all, or maybe she was trying real hard to ignore it. Tension clotted the air. It was like an invisible line had been drawn somewhere and I'd skipped right over it. I could feel all of them, dozens of eyes, settling on me. All of their gazes filled with distrust and an emotion far, far worse.

Fear.

I didn't get it. I knew that luxen didn't particularly like humans, but come on, were we really that bad? And what were they so afraid of? I had no doubt that they would be able to kill any human easily, so why were they so concerned?


	16. The First Day Of School

Chapter 16

The last thing I wanted to be wearing was a knee brace on my first day at a new school, but since Amy was insistent that I'd wait until it was mostly healed, I was stuck with more than the 'Look, a new girl!' reactions I got the moment I stepped into the halls of PHS. I had those looks plus 'Look, a new girl who's been beaten up!' too.

Everyone stared as if I were a two-headed alien rolling up into school. I wasn't sure if I should feel like a celebrity or an escaped mental patient. No one spoke to me.

Luckily, PHS was easy to navigate and find classes. I was used to high schools that were at least four stories tall, had multiple wings, and open campuses. PHS had a couple of floors, but that was it.

I found my homeroom class easily and sat through curious stares and a few tentative smiles. I didn't see my neighbors until second period, and it was Daemon who strolled in seconds before the bell rang, with an easy smile on his full lips. Conversations practically ceased. Several of the girls around me even stopped scribbling in on their notebooks.

Daemon had a sort of rock star entrance with that deadly swagger. He had everyone's attention, especially when he shifted his trig textbook from one hand to the other and then ran his fingers through the tousled waves of his thick hair, letting it fall back over his forehead. His jeans hung low on his hips, so when he lifted his arm, he flashed a row of golden skin that somehow made math all the more interesting.

A girl with reddish hair sighed next to me and said under her breath, "God, what I wouldn't do for a piece of that. A Daemon sandwich should be on the menu."

Another girl giggled. "That is terrible."

"Along with the Thompson twins as a side dish," the redhead replied, flushing as he drew close.

"Lesa, you're such a ho-bag," laughed the brunette.

I hastily averted my eyes to my notebook, but I still knew he'd taken the seat directly behind me. The entire length of my back tingled. A second later, I felt something poke me in my back. Biting down on my lip, I glanced over my shoulder.

His smile was lopsided. "Hey Kittykat."

Excitement and dread warred inside me. Did he write on my back? I wouldn't be surprised if he had. I felt my cheeks redden at the sparkle in his green eyes. "Hey," I said, tucking my hair back. "Daemon tapped his pen off the edge of the desk. "You should go shopping with Dee more often, it helps."

"Helps with what?"

He circled the pen in the air, apparently encompassing my fashion sense. "With what you've got going on there."

My eyes narrowed. I didn't even want to know what he was referencing. There was nothing wrong with my jeans or my shirt. I looked like everyone else in the classroom, with the exception of kids who had their shirts tucked into their pants. I hadn't seen a cowboy hat or teased bangs yet. These kids looked like the kids in Florida, just with less potential for skin cancer.

Lesa and her friend had stopped talking, watching Daemon and me with openmouthed stares. I swore to God if Daemon said anything ignorant, I was going to lay him out in class. My head was hard enough to do damage.

Leaning forward, his warm breath danced along my cheek when he spoke. "Less people will stare is all I'm saying."

I didn't believe for one second that was all he was talking about. On top of that, with him this close to my face, everyone was staring. And we weren't looking away from each other. We were stuck in the middle of an epic stare-down I refused to lose. Something passed between us, reminiscent of the strange current I'd felt with him before.

A boy on the other side of Daemon gave a low whistle. "Ash is going to kick your ass, Daemon."

Daemon's grin went up a notch. "Nah, she likes my ass too much for that."

The boy chuckled.

Eyes still on me, he tipped his desk forward even further. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I checked out your blog."

Oh. Dear. Baby. Jesus. How did he find it? Wait. More importantly was the fact that he had found it. Was my blog now Googleable? That was awesomesauce with an extra heaping of sauce. "Stalking me again, I see. Do I need to get a restraining order?"

"In your dreams, Kitten." He smirked. "Oh wait, I'm already starring in those, aren't I?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nightmares, Daemon. Nightmares."

He smiled, his eyes twinkling, and I almost smiled back, but luckily the teacher started calling roll, forcing an end to, well, whatever was going on between us. I turned around in my seat, letting out a slow breath.

Daemon laughed softly.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, I couldn't get out of there quick enough. I did so without looking back to see what Daemon was doing. Math was going to suck butt more than it normally did if he sat behind me in class every day.

Out in the hallway, Lesa and her friend fell in step with me. "You're new here," said the brunette. Observant.

Lesa rolled her dark eyes. "That's not obvious, Carissa."

Carissa ignored her friend, pushing her square-framed glasses up her nose as she deftly stepped out of the way of another stupid kid barreling through the crowded hall. "How do you know Daemon Black so well?" Considering the first kids to talk to me were doing so because I'd been talking to Daemon, I wasn't thrilled. "I moved in next to them in the middle of July."

"Ah, I'm jealous." Lesa pursed her lips. "Half the population at this school would love to trade places with you."

I'd gladly change positions with them.

"By the way, my name is Carissa and that's Lesa if you hadn't figured it out yet. We've lived here our whole lives." Carissa waited.

"My name is Katy Swartz, from Florida." Oddly, they didn't have thick accents like I'd been expecting.

"You came here, to West Virginia, from Florida?" Lesa's eyes went wide. "Are you insane?"

I smiled.

"What happened to your knee?" Carissa asked as they followed me up the crowded stairs.

There were so many people in the stairwell and I didn't want to announce my injury to everyone.

"It's nothing."

Lesa smiled as we reached the second floor. I had English at the end of the hall that I was pretty sure I shared with Dee. "Well, it's nice meeting you. We don't get a lot of new people here."

"Nope," Carissa agreed. "No new kids since the triplets arrived here when we were freshmen."

"You mean Ash and her brothers?" I asked, confused

"And the Blacks," Lesa answered. "All six of them showed up within days of each other. Had the entire school going crazy."

"Wait." I stopped in the middle of the hall, earning a few nasty looks from people I knocked off course. "What do you mean all six of them? And all of them came here at the same time?"

"Pretty much," Carissa said, fixing her glasses. "And Lesa isn't kidding. It was crazy for months afterward. Can you blame us, though?"

Lesa stopped by a classroom door, brow wrinkling. "Oh, you didn't know there'd been three of the Blacks?"

Feeling even more confused, I shook my head. "No. There's Daemon and Dee, right?"

The warning bell rang, and both Lesa and Carissa glanced into the classroom filling up. It was Lesa who explained. "They were triplets, too. Dee and there were two brothers, Daemon and Dawson. They were completely identical, like the two Thompson boys. Couldn't tell them apart if your life depended on it." I stared at them, rooted to the floor.

Carissa smiled sadly. "It's really sad. The one brother—Dawson—he disappeared a year ago. Everyone pretty much believes he's dead."


	17. The Cafeteria Incident

Chapter 17

I didn't have much time to ask Dee about this other brother in English AP because I was late getting to class. And I was still too hurt to broach the topic with her. I couldn't believe they had another brother and never once mentioned him. Or mention their significant others, or what they do when they take off for a day or two.

And he'd disappeared? Died? My heart ached for them even though they obviously hadn't told me everything. I knew what it was like to lose someone.

After class, Dee was waylaid by Ash and a golden-haired boy who looked as though he could be a model. It took no stretch of the imagination to figure out that was one of her brothers. And when they'd left her, all Dee said was to meet together at lunch before we had to rush off to our next classes.

Bio was my next class, and Lesa was in that one. She sat at the table in front of me, smiling. "How's your first day going?"

"Good. Normal." Normal with the exception of everything I'd learned. "Yours?"

"Boring and long already," she replied. "I can't wait for this school year to be over. I'm ready to get the hell out of Dodge, move to a normal town."

"A normal town?" I laughed.

Lesa leaned back, placing her arms on my table. "This town is the epicenter of weirdness. Some of the people here, well, they don't act right."

A three-fingered hillbilly danced in my head, but somehow I doubted that was what she meant. "Dee said some of the people around here weren't friendly."

She snickered. "She'd say that."

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. "I don't mean that as a bad thing, but some of the kids here and the folks in town aren't friendly toward her and the others like her."

"Others like her," I said slowly. "I'm not sure what that means," I lied.

"Me either." Lesa shrugged. "Like I said, people are weird around here. The town is weird. People are always claiming to see men in black running around—like black suits, not the actors. I think they're government. I've actually seen them myself. Then there's the other things people claim to see." I remembered the guy at the grocery store. "Like what?"

Grinning, Lesa glanced toward the front of the room. The teacher hadn't arrived yet. She scooted even closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Okay, this is going to sound insane and let's get one thing straight. I don't believe any of this crap, okay?" This sounded juicy. "Okay."

Her dark eyes twinkled. "People around here have claimed that they've seen these forms of light up near Seneca Rocks. Like these... people-shaped things of light. Some believe they're ghosts or aliens."

"Aliens?" I busted out laughing, trying not to show my increasing panic. "I'm sorry, but seriously?"

"Seriously," she repeated, grinning. "I don't believe it, but we actually get traffic around here from people looking for evidence. I kid you not. We're like Point Pleasant around here."

"Uh, you're going to have to fill me in on that."

"You ever heard of the Mothman?" When she saw my look, she laughed. "It's another crazy thing about this flying giant dragonfly that warns people before something bad happens. Up in Point Pleasant, some have reported seeing it before the bridge collapsed and killed a bunch of people. And days before that, they said they saw men in suits hanging around." I opened my mouth to respond, but our teacher walked in. At first, I didn't recognize him. His light brown hair was styled back from his forehead. His polo was pressed, nothing like the worn shirt and jeans I'd last seen him in.

Matthew was Mr. Garrison, my bio teacher—the same guy who'd been at Daemon's house when we returned from the lake.

He picked papers off his desk and looked up, his gaze scanning the class. His eyes landed on me, and I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Are you okay?" whispered Lesa.

Mr. Garrison held my gaze a second longer and then looked away. I let out the breath I was holding. "Yeah," I whispered, swallowing thickly. "I'm okay."

I sat back in my chair, staring ahead blankly while Mr. Garrison launched right into class, going over our course material and labs we'd be participating in. The obligatory animal autopsy was scheduled, much to my dismay. The idea of cutting into animals, dead or not, gave me the creeps.

But not as badly as the creeps Mr. Garrison gave me. Throughout class, I'd feel his concentrated gaze on me, and it was as if he was seeing right through me. What the hell was going on around here?

…

The school cafeteria was near the gymnasium, a long and rectangular space that smelled of overcooked food and disinfectant. Yum. White tables filled the room and most of them were already occupied by the time I got there. Standing in line, I recognized Carissa.

She turned, spotted me, and smiled. "Spaghetti on the menu, or at least what they consider spaghetti."

Grimacing, I plopped some on my tray. "It doesn't look too bad."

"Not after you've seen the meatloaf." She added noodles to her plate, along with a side of salad. Then she picked up her drink. "I know. Chocolate milk and spaghetti do not go together."

"No, they don't." I giggled, grabbing a bottle of water. "Do they allow anyone off campus to eat?"

"No, but they don't stop us when we do." Carissa handed a few dollars to the lunch lady, then turned to me. "You have anyone to sit with?"

Forking over cash, I nodded. "Yeah, I'm sitting with Dee. You?"

"What?" she said.

I looked up. Carissa stared at me, openmouthed. "I'm sitting with Dee. I'm sure you can sit—"

"No, I can't." Carissa grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the line.

I arched a brow. "Really? Why? Are they social lepers or something?"

She pushed her glasses up her nose as she rolled her eyes. "No. They're pretty cool and all, but the last girl to do so, like, disappeared."

Knots formed in my stomach as I let out a nervous laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," she said solemnly. "She disappeared around the same time their brother did."

Carissa glanced over at a table full of friends. A few seats were open. "Her name was Bethany Williams. She transferred to this school in the middle of her sophomore year, a little after they got here." She tipped her head to the back of the cafeteria. "And she struck up a relationship with Dawson, and they both disappeared around the start of junior year."

"Bethany Williams? Are you sure that was her name?" I asked, trying to disguise the outright panic in my voice.

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason," I replied, suddenly feeling the urge to puke.

"Hey are you okay? You look a little pale. Maybe you should go see the nurse."

"I'm fine," I whispered, not believing my own words.

"Okay. If you're sure. Anyway, do you want to sit with us?" Carissa asked.

I shook my head, feeling bad for turning down her offer. "I promised Dee I would sit with her today."

Carissa relented with a weak smile. "Well, then maybe tomorrow?"

"Yes." I smiled weakly. "Tomorrow, definitely."

Readjusting my book bag, I took my plate of food toward the back of the cafeteria. I saw Dee immediately. She was chatting with one of the Thompson brothers while she twisted her midnight hair around her finger. Across from the one golden-haired god was another with his back to me, half sitting on the table. I wondered which one was her 'kind of' boyfriend. The table was full, except for two open spaces. All guys except Dee.

Then I saw Ash's ultra shiny cap of blonde hair from behind the boy on the table. Oddly enough, she was sitting higher than everyone else. A moment later I realized why.

She was sitting on Daemon's lap. Her arms were draped around his neck, and I watched her press her chest right up against him, smiling at what he said.

Hadn't he tried to kiss me on the porch? I was pretty sure I hadn't imagined that. Daemon was a douchebag to the highest order.

"Katy!" Dee exclaimed.

Everyone at the table looked up. Even the one twin turned in his seat. His sky blue eyes widened upon seeing me. The other twin sat back, folding his arms. The scowl on his face was a work of art.

"Sit," Dee said, smacking the top of the table across from her. "We were talking about—"

"Wait," Ash said. Her red painted lips twisted into a pout. "You did not invite her to sit with us? Really?"

The knots returned in full force, rendering me speechless.

"Shut up, Ash," grumbled the twin that had turned around. "You're going to make a scene."

"I'm not going to make anything happen." Her arm around Daemon's neck tightened. "She doesn't need to sit with us."

Dee sighed. "Ash, stop being a bitch. She's not trying to steal Daemon from you."

My cheeks flamed as I stood there awkwardly. Anger rolled off Ash in waves, spreading across the table, smacking into me.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Ash snickered, her gaze drifting over me as her lip curled. "For real."

The longer I stood there, the stupider I felt. My eyes bounced from Dee to Daemon, but he was looking over Ash's shoulder, his jaw working.

"Just sit," Dee said, motioning me forward. "She'll get over it."

I started to put my plate down.

Daemon whispered, and Ash smacked his arm. Not lightly either. He pressed his cheek into her neck, and that dark and unwanted feeling sprung up deep inside me.

I dragged my eyes away from them, focusing on Dee. "I don't know if I should."

"You shouldn't," Ash snapped.

"Shut up," Dee said, and then to me she said sweetly, "I'm sorry I know such hideous bitches."

I almost smiled, but there was a burning in my chest that was spreading up my throat, down my back. "Are you sure?" I heard myself say.

Daemon lifted his head from Ash's neck long enough to rake a long, confusing look over me. "I think it's obvious if you're wanted here or not."

"Daemon," hissed Dee, her cheeks red. She turned to me, tears in her eyes. "He's not being serious."

"Are you being serious, Daemon?" Ash turned in his lap, head cocked to the side.

My heart was already pounding in my chest when his eyes met mine. His were sheltered. "Actually I was being serious." He leaned over the table, staring up at me through thick lashes. "You're not wanted here." Dee spoke again, but I was beyond hearing. My face felt like it was on fire. People around us were starting to stare. One of the Thompson boys was smirking while the other looked as though he wanted to crawl underneath the table for me. The rest of the kids at the table were staring at their plates. One of them snickered. I felt myself start to shake from anger. I had to control myself, or this would turn into a very different kind of disaster.

Daemon turned away, staring over Ash's shoulder again.

"Run along," Ash said, flicking her long, slender fingers at me.

All the faces staring up at me, a mixture of pity and secondhand embarrassment, threw me back three years. To the first day I'd returned to school after my parents had died. I broke down in English class, crying when I learned we'd be reading A Tale of Two Cities, my dad's favorite story. Everyone had stared at me. Some felt bad. Others looked embarrassed for me.

It reminded me of the same looks the police and the nurses had given me at the hospital the night they had died, reminding me of how helpless I'd been.

I'd hated those looks then.

And I hated them now. There was no excuse for what I did next except that I wanted to—needed to…

Hands clenching the edges of the plastic tray, I leaned over the table and turned my plate upside down over Daemon's and Ash's heads. Chunks of noodles and spaghetti sauce fell. Most of the red gunk hit Ash and the noodles covered Daemon's broad shoulder. One long, stringy noodle slid over Daemon's ear and hung there, flopping around.

There was an audible gasp that rang out through the surrounding tables.

Dee smacked a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and full of barely restrained laughter.

Shrieking, Ash leaped from Daemon's lap, her hands out to her sides, palms up. One would think I dumped blood on her considering the horrified look on her face. "You…you…" she sputtered, wiping the back of her hand down her sauce-stained cheek.

Daemon plucked a noodle off his ear and seemed to inspect it before he dropped them on the table. Then he did the oddest thing of all.

He laughed.

He really laughed—a deep, stomach rumbling kind of laughter that reached his minty eyes and warmed them, causing them to sparkle like his sister's.

Ash lowered her hands, balling them into fists. "I will end you."

Daemon jumped up, throwing his arm around the girl's tiny waist. Whatever amusement he felt was long gone. "Calm down," he ordered softly. "I mean it. Calm down."

She pulled against Daemon but didn't make it far. "I swear to all the stars and suns, I will destroy you."

"I really don't think you should try that." I was so over this bitch. I tested the weight of my knee in the brace and seriously thought about kicking someone.

For a second, I saw her eyes start to glow a bright amber from behind her irises. And then Mr. Garrison was suddenly there, standing at the edge of our table. "I believe that's enough."

Like a switch being thrown, Ash sat down in her own seat. The edge on her rage dissipated as she eyed me and grabbed a fistful of napkins off the table.

Daemon slowly picked a clump of long noodle off his shoulder and dropped them on the plate without speaking. I kept expecting him to explode on me, but like his sister, it looked as if he were trying not to laugh again.

"I think you should find another place to eat," Mr. Garrison said, voice low enough that only the people at our table could hear. "Do so now."

Stunned, I grabbed my book bag and waited for him to tell me to see the principal or for other teachers in the room to intervene but that never came. Mr. Garrison stared at me. He waited. Then it struck me. He was waiting for me to leave. Like the rest of them were.

Nodding numbly, I turned around and walked out of the cafeteria. Eyes followed me, but I kept it together. I didn't break when I heard Dee call out my name. And I didn't break when I passed a dumbfounded-looking Lesa and Carissa.

I wasn't going to break. Not anymore. I was tired of this shit with Daemon's, well, whatever she was. I hadn't done a single thing for her to treat me this way.

I was done with being pushover Katy.

Hey guys! I'm back! Thank you for all your support. It really means a lot to me. I would also like to thank you for your patience while my arm was healing, it ended up taking longer than I expected. But, the good news is that it's finally healed, and I wrote a lot of new chapters for you guys! Let me know what you think!


	18. Gossip

Chapter 18

I'd made a name for myself by the end of the day. I became the 'Girl Who Dumped Her Food on Them.' I expected backlash in every hallway and class, especially when I spotted one of the Thompson boys in my history class or a freshly clothed Ash sulking by her locker.

It never came.

Dee apologized profusely before gym class started, and then hugged me for what I did. She tried to talk to me while we lined up for volleyball, but I was…numb. There was no mistaking the fact that Ash hated me. Why? It couldn't be because of Daemon. It was more than that. I didn't know what.

After school I drove home, trying to figure out everything that had happened since I moved here. Once I got home, though, and saw several packages on my front porch, all the crap from the day disappeared. A few had smiley faces on them. Squealing, I grabbed the boxes. Books were inside— new release books I'd preordered weeks ago.

I hurried upstairs and powered up my laptop. I checked on the review I'd posted last night. No comments. People sucked. But I did gain five new followers. People rocked. I closed out the page before I started redesigning everything. Then I Googled "Mothman." Oh. Dear. Lord.

West Virginians were crazy. Down in Florida, every once in a while someone claimed to see Big Foot out in the Glades or the chupacabra, but not a giant flying whatever he was. He looked like a huge satanic butterfly.

Why in the hell was I looking at this?

It was insane. I stopped myself before I started searching for aliens in West Virginia. As soon as I went downstairs, there was a knock on my door. It was Dee.

"Hey," she said, "can we talk?"

"Sure?" I shut the door behind me and walked outside.

She smiled as I sat on the swing. "Katy, I am so, so sorry about today. Ash is a complete bitch sometimes."

"It's not your fault she acted like that," I said, meaning it. "But what I don't get is why she and Daemon acted like that." I stopped, feeling that stupid burn in my throat. "I shouldn't have dumped my food on them, but I've never been more embarrassed in my life." Dee sat beside me, crossing her ankles. "I think it was actually kind of funny, what you did and not what they did. If I'd known they were going to be so terrible about everything I would've made sure they didn't." Water under the bridge, I guessed.

She drew in a deep breath. "Ash isn't Daemon's girlfriend. She wants to be, but she's not."

"It didn't look that way to me."

"Well, they do…hang out."

"He's using her?" Disgusted, I shook my head. "What a douche."

"I think it's mutual on both sides. Honestly, they did date last year for a little bit, but then it cooled off. Today was the most I'd seen him pay attention to her in months."

"She hates me," I said after a few minutes, sighing. "I don't care about that right now. I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay."

I bit my lip. "We're friends, right?"

"Of course!" She looked at me with wide eyes. "Honestly, Daemon scares everyone off and you've lasted the longest, and, well, I think you're like my best friend."

I was relieved to hear that. Not the part about me lasting the longest, because that sounded weird. Like they broke their friends or something. "Same here."

She smiled broadly. "Good, because I would've felt stupid for saying that if you decided you didn't want to be friends anymore with me."

The sincerity in her voice struck a chord in me. Suddenly, I wasn't sure that I wanted to question her. Maybe it was something she didn't want to talk about because it was too painful. In the short time I'd known we'd grown close, and I didn't want to upset her.

"Why did you ask?" she prodded.

I tucked my hair back, staring down at the floor. "Why didn't you ever tell me about Dawson?"

Dee froze. I don't even think she breathed, to be honest. Then she ran a hand up and down her arm, swallowing. "I guess someone told you about him at school?"

"Yeah, they told me he disappeared with a girl."

Pressing her lips together, she nodded. "I know you probably think it's weird that I'd never mentioned him, but I don't like talking about him. I try not to even think about him." She looked at me, eyes glistening with tears. "Does that make me a bad person?"

"No," I said fiercely.

"We were close, me and Dawson." She wiped a hand across her face. "Daemon was always the quiet one, off doing things on his own, but Dawson and I were super close. We did everything together. He was more than a brother. He was my best friend." I didn't know what to say. But it certainly explained the almost desperate quality to Dee's friendship, and that common feeling we each recognized in the other. Loneliness. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I didn't understand and…" And I was a nosy bitch.

"No, it's okay." She twisted toward me. "I would be curious, too. I totally understand. And I should've told you. I'm such a crappy friend that you find out about my other brother from kids at school."

"I was confused. There's been so much…" I trailed off, shaking my head. "Nothing. When you're ready to talk about him, I'm here. Okay?"

Dee nodded. "There's been so much what?"

Talking to her about all the weird crap wouldn't be good. I forced a smile. "It's nothing. So do you think I have to watch my back now? Go into the Witness Protection Program?" She let out a shaky laugh. "Well, I wouldn't try to talk to Ash anytime soon."

Figured that much. "What about Daemon?"

"Good question," she said, glancing away. "I have no idea what he'll do."

…

The next day, I was dreading second period. My stomach was twisted, and I'd been unable to eat breakfast without wanting to hurl. There was no doubt in my mind that Daemon believed revenge was a dish best served in my face.

As soon as Lesa and Carissa arrived at class, they demanded to know what possessed me to dump my plate of spaghetti on Daemon's and Ash's heads.

I shrugged. "Ash was being a bitch." I'm sure I seemed a lot more confident than I felt. I actually wanted to take the whole thing back. Sure, Ash was being rude and embarrassed me, but hadn't I done the same thing to her? If I was the girl who dumped spaghetti on them, then she was the dumpee and that's got to be more embarrassing.

I was ashamed. I'd never done anything to make anyone feel bad before. It was as though Daemon's obnoxious personality was rubbing off on me, and I didn't like it. I decided it would be best for everyone if I stayed the hell away from him from now on.

Eyes wide, Lesa leaned across the aisle. "And what about Daemon?"

"He's always an ass," I told them.

Carissa took off her glasses and giggled. "I honestly wish I'd known you were going to do that. I would've filmed it."

Thinking about that being up on YouTube, I cringed as I watched the door.

"Rumor around school is you and Daemon hooked up over the summer." Lesa seemed to wait for me to confirm the rumor. Not in this lifetime.

"People are ridiculous."

I held their gazes until Carissa coughed and asked, "You're going to sit with us today?" She put her glasses back on with a push on the bridge.

Surprised, I blinked at her. "You still want me to sit with you after yesterday?" I was figuring I'd be eating my lunches in the restroom for the rest of the year.

Lesa nodded. "Are you kidding? We think you rock. We don't have any problems with them, but I'm sure there have been a few students who've wanted to do that."

"And it was pretty badass," Carissa added, grinning. "You were like a food ninja."

I laughed, relieved. "I'd love to, but I'm only here until fourth period. "

"Oh, you're going to miss the pep rally," Lesa said. "Poor you. Are you going to the game tonight?"

"No. Football isn't my thing."

"Neither is it ours, but you still should go." Lesa popped in her seat, her tight curls bouncing around her heart-shaped face. "Carissa and I usually go just to get out and do something. There's isn't much to do around here."

"Well, there are the field parties after the games." Carissa pushed her bangs out of her glasses. "Lesa always drags me to them."

Lesa rolled her eyes. "Carissa doesn't drink."

"So?" Carissa said.

"And she doesn't smoke, have sex, or do anything interesting." Lesa dodged out of the way of Carissa's swinging hand. "Yawn."

"Excuse me if I have standards." Her eyes narrowed on Lesa. "Unlike some."

"I have standards." Lesa faced me, a slight grin on her face. "But around here, you kind of have to lower them."

I started to laugh.

And then Daemon walked into class. I sunk in my seat, biting my lip. "Oh God."

Wisely, both girls stopped talking. I picked up my pen, pretending to be engrossed in the notes I'd taken yesterday. Turned out, I hadn't taken many notes, so I wrote the date on my notebook very slowly.

Daemon took the seat behind me, and my stomach jumped clear into my throat. I was going to vomit. Right here, in class, in front—

He poked me in the back with his pen.

I froze. Him and that goddamn pen. The poke came again, this time with a little force behind it. I swung around, eyes narrowed. "What?"

Daemon smiled.

Everyone around us was staring. It was like a repeat of lunch. I bet they were wondering if I was going to dump my backpack on his head. Depending on what he said, there was a good chance it could happen. I doubted I'd get away with it this time, though.

Tipping his chin down, he stared at me through his wickedly long lashes. "You owe me a new shirt."

My jaw hit the back of my chair.

"Come to find out," he continued softly, "spaghetti sauce doesn't always come out of clothes."

Somehow I found my ability to speak. "I'm sure you have enough shirts."

"I do, but that was my favorite."

"You have a favorite shirt?" I arched a brow.

"And I also think you ruined Ash's favorite shirt, too." He started to grin again, flashing a deep dimple in one cheek.

"Well, I'm sure you were there to comfort her during such a traumatic situation."

"I'm not sure she'll recover," he replied.

I rolled my eyes, knowing I should apologize for what I'd done, but I couldn't find it in me. Yeah, I was becoming a terrible person. I started to turn around.

"You owe me. Again."

I stared at him for a long moment. The warning bell rang, but it seemed far away. My chest lurched. "I don't owe you anything," I said, low enough for only us to hear.

"I have to disagree." Leaning closer, he tipped the edge of his desk down. There were only a few inches between our mouths. Totally inappropriate amount of space, really, since we were in class, and he had a girl on his lap yesterday. "You're nothing like I expected."

"What did you expect?" I was sort of turned on by the fact I had surprised him. Weird. My eyes dropped to his poetic lips. Such a waste of a mouth.

"You and I have to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about."

His gaze dropped, and the air suddenly felt steamy. Unbearable. "Yes," he said, voice low, "we do. Tonight."

Part of me wanted to tell him to forget the whole talking thing, but I gritted my teeth and nodded. We did need to talk if at least for me to tell him we shouldn't ever talk again. I wanted to find the nice Katy he'd had gagged and put in the corner.

The teacher cleared his throat. Blinking tightly, I saw that we had the entire class transfixed. Flushing to the roots of my hair, I turned around and gripped the edges of my desk.

Class began, but the heat in the air was still there, coating my skin in anticipation. I could feel Daemon behind me, his eyes on me. I didn't dare move. Not until Lesa stretched beside me and dropped a folded note on my desk.

Before the teacher could catch on, I opened the note and slid it under my book. When he turned back to the chalkboard, I lifted the edge of my textbook.

Holy Hawt Chemistry, Batman!

I looked over at her, shaking my head. But there was a fluttering deep in my chest, a breathlessness that shouldn't be there. I didn't like him. He was a jerk. Moody. But there had been brief moments that I'd spent with him—like a nanosecond—when I thought I might have seen the real Daemon. At least a better Daemon. And that part made me curious. And the other side, the jerky one, yeah, that part didn't make me curious.

It sort of excited me.

Chapter 19

I tried paying attention in my classes, but my mind was on Daemon and what he wanted to talk to me about tonight. Thankfully, I only had to muscle through half a day before it was time to go pick up the twins since they had a half day at school today.

On the way home, I stopped at the post office. There was a ton of junk mail in our box, but also a few yellow envelopes, which brought a big ole smile to my face. Media Mail was stamped across them. Gathering my goodies, I headed home and piddled around the house. Anxious energy jolted through my system like I'd chugged one of those cheap energy drinks.

I changed several times, settling on a little sundress after going through my closet and finding nothing I wanted to wear. Changing didn't get rid of the anxious feeling.

What did Daemon want to talk about?

I ended up rearranging my entire blog design trying to pass time. And that only made me more anxious about everything, because I was sure I'd screwed up my header and the banner at the bottom. Only when a book release countdown widget had completely disappeared, lost to the realm of the Internet, did I force myself away from the computer.

Turned out I had a while to wait and see. It was after eight when Daemon showed up at my door, a few minutes after the twins had gone to bed. He was leaning against the railing, staring up at the sky like usual. With the moonlight slicing over half of his face and the rest cast deep in shadows, he didn't seem real.

Then Daemon zeroed in on me, his gaze sliding over my dress and then back up. He looked as if he were about to speak but thought twice.

Gathering up my courage, I walked over and stopped beside him. "Is Dee home?"

"No." He returned to staring at the night sky. There were a thousand twinkling stars. "She went to the game with Ash, but I doubt she will stay long." Daemon paused, glancing down at me. "I told her I was going to hang out with you tonight. I think she'll come home soon to make sure we haven't killed each other." Looking away, I hid my grin. "Well, if you don't kill me, I'm sure Ash will be more than glad to do so."

"Because of the spaghetti-gate or something else?" he asked.

I shot him a sidelong look. "You looked mighty comfy with her in your lap yesterday."

"Ah, I see." He pushed off the railing, coming to stand beside me. "It makes sense now."

"It does?" I held my ground.

His eyes gleamed in the dark. "You're jealous."

"Whatever." I forced a laugh. "Why would I be jealous?"

Daemon followed me down the steps until we were standing in my driveway. "Because we spent time together."

"Spending time together isn't a reason to be jealous, especially when you were forced to spend time with me." I realized how lame it was that I was sort of jealous. Ugh. "Is this what we need to talk about?" He shrugged. "Come on. Let's take a walk."

Watching him, I smoothed my hands over my dress. "It's kind of late, don't you think?"

"I think and talk better when I walk." He held a hand out to me. "If not, I turn into the dickhead Daemon you're not very fond of."

"Ha. Ha." I stared at his hand. There was a fluttering in my stomach. "Yeah, I'm not holding your hand."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to hold hands with you when I don't even like you."

"Ouch." Daemon placed his hand over his chest, wincing. "That was harsh."

Yeah, he needed better acting classes. "You're not going to take me out in the woods and leave me there, are you?"

"Sounds like a fitting case of revenge, but I wouldn't do that. I doubt you'd last very long without someone to rescue you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

He tossed me a brief grin, and we walked in silence for a few minutes, crossing the main access road. The night air was definitely chilly compared to when I'd first put the dress on, and I was beginning to wish I put tights on, too. Fall was well on its way.

Soon we had moved deep into the woods, where the moonlight struggled to make it through the thick trees. Daemon reached in his back pocket and pulled out a thin flashlight that gave off a surprisingly large amount of light. Every cell in my body seemed to be aware of how close he was while we walked in a cocoon of darkness, the light bouncing in front of us with each step. And I hated each of my traitorous cells with a vengeance.

"Ash isn't my girlfriend," he said finally. "We used to date, but we're friends now. And before you ask, we're not that kind of friend even though she was sitting on my lap. I can't explain why she was doing that."

"Why did you let her?" I asked, wanting to smack myself afterward. It wasn't my business and I didn't care.

"I don't know, honestly. Is being a guy a good-enough reason?"

"Not really," I said, staring at the ground. I could barely see my feet.

"Didn't think so," he replied. I couldn't see his expression and I needed to, because I could never tell what he was thinking and sometimes, well, his eyes were at war with his words. "Anyway, I'm…I am sorry about the whole lunch thing." Surprised he apologized, I stumbled over a rock. He caught me easily, his breath warm on my cheek before he backed off. My skin tingled, but I pulled back. Daemon apologizing for the lunch debacle was like being doused with cold water. I wasn't sure what was worse: him not knowing he'd been a jerk or fully aware of what he'd been doing to me.

"Kat?" he said softly.

I glanced at him. "You embarrassed me."

"I know—"

"No, I don't think you do know." I started walking, hugging my elbows. "And you pissed me off. I can't figure you out. One minute you aren't bad and then you are the biggest ass on the planet."

"But I have bonus points." He caught up with me, always shining the light far enough ahead of me so I could easily make out exposed roots and rocks. "I do, right? Bonus points from the lake and our walk? Did I get any from saving you that night?"

"You got a lot of bonus point for your sister." I shook my head. "Not for me. And if they were my bonus points, you've lost most of them by now."

He was quiet for a few moments. "That blows. It really does."

I stopped. "Why are we talking?"

"Look, I am sorry about that. I am." He let out a long breath. "You didn't deserve the way we acted."

I didn't know what to say to that. He sounded genuine and almost sad, but it wasn't as if he didn't have a choice in how he acted. Searching for something to say, I settled on what probably wasn't going to take well. "I'm sorry about your brother, Daemon." He came to a complete stop, nearly hidden in the shadows. There was such a long gap in silence I wasn't sure he'd ever respond. "You don't have any idea what happened to my brother."

My insides were tight. "All I know is that he disappeared—"

Daemon's hand opened and closed at his side, the other dangling the flashlight straight down. "That was a while ago."

"It was last year," I pointed out gently. "Right?"

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Just seems longer than that." He looked away, half of his face coming out of the shadows. "So how did you hear about him?"

I shivered in the chilled air. "Kids were talking about it at school. I was curious why no one ever mentioned him or that girl."

"Should we have?" he asked.

Glancing at him, I tried to gauge his expression but it was too dark. "I don't know. Seems like a pretty big deal that people would talk about."

Daemon started walking again. "It's not something we like to talk about, Kat."

That was understandable, I supposed. I struggled to keep up with him. "I don't mean to pry—"

"You don't?" His voice was tight, movements stiff. "My brother is gone. Some poor girl's family will probably never see their daughter again, and you want to know why no one told you? "

I stiffened at the mention of Bethany, Then bit my lip, feeling like a jerk. "I'm sorry. It's just that everyone is so…secretive. Like, I don't know anything about your family. And Ash hates my guts for no reason. I dumped food on your head yesterday, and I didn't get in trouble. That's plain weird. Dee has a boyfriend she's never mentioned. People stare at Dee like she's either a princess or they're afraid of her. People stare at me. And—"

"You sound like those things have something in common."

I could barely keep up with him. We were moving deeper into the woods, almost near the lake by now. "Do they?"

"Why would they?" His voice was low and taut with frustration. "Maybe you're feeling a little paranoid.

"See, you are doing it now!" I pointed out. "Getting all uptight because I'm asking a question, and Dee does the same thing."

"Do you think maybe it's because we know you've been through a lot and we don't want to add to it?"

"But how can you add to it?"

He slowed in his pace. "I don't know. We can't."

I shook my head as he stopped near the edge of the lake and flipped off the flashlight. In the night, the water gleamed like a shined onyx. A hundred stars reflected off the still surface like the night sky, but less infinite. It seemed as if I could reach out and touch them.

"The day at the lake," Daemon said after a few moments. "There were a few minutes when I was having a good time."

My breath caught hearing that. There were a few minutes that I'd enjoyed it, too. I tucked my hair back. "Before you turned into Aquaman?"

Daemon was quiet, his shoulders unnaturally tense. "Stress will do that, make you think things are happening that aren't."

Looking at him, his striking features lit by the pale moonlight, he didn't seem real. The exotic eyes, the curve of his jaw, all of it seemed more defined out here. Daemon stared at the dark sky, a brooding and pensive look to his face.

Several responses lined up, but I pushed them away. Arguing with him in the middle of the woods at night wasn't on the top of my list of things to do. "Why did you want to talk, Daemon?"

He clasped a hand on the back of his neck. "What happened yesterday at lunch is only going to get worse. You can't be friends with Dee, not like the kind of friend you want to be."

A hot flush crawled down my cheeks, spreading over my neck. "Are you serious?"

Daemon lowered his hand. "I'm not saying you have to stop talking to her, but pull it back. You can still be nice to her, talk to her at school, but don't go out of your way. You're only going to make it harder on her and yourself." Every hair on my body rose all at once. "Are you threatening me, Daemon?"

Our eyes locked. His were full of… what? Regret? "No. I'm telling you how it's going to be. We should head back."

"No." I dug in, staring at him. "Why? Why is it so wrong if I'm friends with your sister?"

A second passed, and his jaw tensed. "You shouldn't be out here with me." He drew in a harsh breath, his eyes wide. He took a step forward. A warm breeze kicked up, scattering fallen leaves and tossing my hair back. The gust seemed to come from behind Daemon, almost as if it were fueled by his mounting anger. "You aren't like us. You are nothing like us. Dee deserves better than you, people that are like her. So leave me alone. Leave my family alone." It was a smack in the face, only worse. Out of everything I was expecting him to say, he went for a doozy. I drew in a deep breath, but it hitched in my throat. I took a step back, blinking away the rush of angry tears.

Daemon didn't take his eyes off me. "You wanted to know why. That's why."

I swallowed thickly. "Why…why do you hate me so much?"

For a brief second, the mask cracked and pain contorted his features. It was so quick, I couldn't be sure I'd actually seen it. He didn't answer.

The tears building in my eyes were about to spill down my cheeks. I refused to cry in front of him, to give him that kind of power. "You know what? Screw you, Daemon."

He looked away. "Kat, you can't—"

"Shut up!" I hissed. "Just shut up." I headed around Daemon and started walking. My skin felt hot and cold, my insides burned with fire and ice. I was going to cry. I knew it. That was what that choking feeling was in the back of my throat.

"Kat," Daemon called out. "Please wait up."

I picked up my pace until I was almost running.

"Come on, Kat, don't walk so far ahead. You're going to get lost. At least take the flashlight!"

As if he cared. I wanted to be free of him before I lost it. There was a good chance I'd hit him. Or I'd cry, because whether I liked him or not, what he had said hurt. Like there was something wrong with me.

I stumbled over a few branches and rocks on the ground I couldn't see, but I knew I could find my way back to the road. And I could hear him behind me, his feet snapping twigs as he kept up with me.

Raw hurt opened up in my chest. I stomped ahead, needing to get home, to talk to the twins and somehow convince them that we needed to move, like, tomorrow.

Run away.

My hands curled into fists. Why should I run away? I hadn't done anything wrong! Angry and disgusted with myself, I tripped over a root sticking out of the ground. I nearly fell flat on my face. I grumbled.

"Kat!" Daemon cursed from behind me.

I gained my footing and rushed forward, relieved to see the road up ahead. I nearly broke into a dead run. I could hear his footfalls now, echoing in the distance. I reached the dark road, wiping the back of my hands over my face. Shit. I was crying.

I raced across the street, and followed the path back to my house. Sophie came bursting out the door, running straight into the middle of the road. I could see her tear streaked face, lit up from the twin headlights of of a truck racing toward her, no more than fifty feet away. I screamed as she froze, too shocked to move.

She was going to die.


	19. Look Before You Cross

Chapter 19

I tried paying attention in my classes, but my mind was on Daemon and what he wanted to talk to me about tonight. Thankfully, I only had to muscle through half a day before it was time to go pick up the twins since they had a half day at school today.

On the way home, I stopped at the post office. There was a ton of junk mail in our box, but also a few yellow envelopes, which brought a big ole smile to my face. Media Mail was stamped across them. Gathering my goodies, I headed home and piddled around the house. Anxious energy jolted through my system like I'd chugged one of those cheap energy drinks.

I changed several times, settling on a little sundress after going through my closet and finding nothing I wanted to wear. Changing didn't get rid of the anxious feeling.

What did Daemon want to talk about?

I ended up rearranging my entire blog design trying to pass time. And that only made me more anxious about everything, because I was sure I'd screwed up my header and the banner at the bottom. Only when a book release countdown widget had completely disappeared, lost to the realm of the Internet, did I force myself away from the computer.

Turned out I had a while to wait and see. It was after eight when Daemon showed up at my door, a few minutes after the twins had gone to bed. He was leaning against the railing, staring up at the sky like usual. With the moonlight slicing over half of his face and the rest cast deep in shadows, he didn't seem real.

Then Daemon zeroed in on me, his gaze sliding over my dress and then back up. He looked as if he were about to speak but thought twice.

Gathering up my courage, I walked over and stopped beside him. "Is Dee home?"

"No." He returned to staring at the night sky. There were a thousand twinkling stars. "She went to the game with Ash, but I doubt she will stay long." Daemon paused, glancing down at me. "I told her I was going to hang out with you tonight. I think she'll come home soon to make sure we haven't killed each other." Looking away, I hid my grin. "Well, if you don't kill me, I'm sure Ash will be more than glad to do so."

"Because of the spaghetti-gate or something else?" he asked.

I shot him a sidelong look. "You looked mighty comfy with her in your lap yesterday."

"Ah, I see." He pushed off the railing, coming to stand beside me. "It makes sense now."

"It does?" I held my ground.

His eyes gleamed in the dark. "You're jealous."

"Whatever." I forced a laugh. "Why would I be jealous?"

Daemon followed me down the steps until we were standing in my driveway. "Because we spent time together."

"Spending time together isn't a reason to be jealous, especially when you were forced to spend time with me." I realized how lame it was that I was sort of jealous. Ugh. "Is this what we need to talk about?" He shrugged. "Come on. Let's take a walk."

Watching him, I smoothed my hands over my dress. "It's kind of late, don't you think?"

"I think and talk better when I walk." He held a hand out to me. "If not, I turn into the dickhead Daemon you're not very fond of."

"Ha. Ha." I stared at his hand. There was a fluttering in my stomach. "Yeah, I'm not holding your hand."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to hold hands with you when I don't even like you."

"Ouch." Daemon placed his hand over his chest, wincing. "That was harsh."

Yeah, he needed better acting classes. "You're not going to take me out in the woods and leave me there, are you?"

"Sounds like a fitting case of revenge, but I wouldn't do that. I doubt you'd last very long without someone to rescue you."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

He tossed me a brief grin, and we walked in silence for a few minutes, crossing the main access road. The night air was definitely chilly compared to when I'd first put the dress on, and I was beginning to wish I put tights on, too. Fall was well on its way.

Soon we had moved deep into the woods, where the moonlight struggled to make it through the thick trees. Daemon reached in his back pocket and pulled out a thin flashlight that gave off a surprisingly large amount of light. Every cell in my body seemed to be aware of how close he was while we walked in a cocoon of darkness, the light bouncing in front of us with each step. And I hated each of my traitorous cells with a vengeance.

"Ash isn't my girlfriend," he said finally. "We used to date, but we're friends now. And before you ask, we're not that kind of friend even though she was sitting on my lap. I can't explain why she was doing that."

"Why did you let her?" I asked, wanting to smack myself afterward. It wasn't my business and I didn't care.

"I don't know, honestly. Is being a guy a good-enough reason?"

"Not really," I said, staring at the ground. I could barely see my feet.

"Didn't think so," he replied. I couldn't see his expression and I needed to, because I could never tell what he was thinking and sometimes, well, his eyes were at war with his words. "Anyway, I'm…I am sorry about the whole lunch thing." Surprised he apologized, I stumbled over a rock. He caught me easily, his breath warm on my cheek before he backed off. My skin tingled, but I pulled back. Daemon apologizing for the lunch debacle was like being doused with cold water. I wasn't sure what was worse: him not knowing he'd been a jerk or fully aware of what he'd been doing to me.

"Kat?" he said softly.

I glanced at him. "You embarrassed me."

"I know—"

"No, I don't think you do know." I started walking, hugging my elbows. "And you pissed me off. I can't figure you out. One minute you aren't bad and then you are the biggest ass on the planet."

"But I have bonus points." He caught up with me, always shining the light far enough ahead of me so I could easily make out exposed roots and rocks. "I do, right? Bonus points from the lake and our walk? Did I get any from saving you that night?"

"You got a lot of bonus point for your sister." I shook my head. "Not for me. And if they were my bonus points, you've lost most of them by now."

He was quiet for a few moments. "That blows. It really does."

I stopped. "Why are we talking?"

"Look, I am sorry about that. I am." He let out a long breath. "You didn't deserve the way we acted."

I didn't know what to say to that. He sounded genuine and almost sad, but it wasn't as if he didn't have a choice in how he acted. Searching for something to say, I settled on what probably wasn't going to take well. "I'm sorry about your brother, Daemon." He came to a complete stop, nearly hidden in the shadows. There was such a long gap in silence I wasn't sure he'd ever respond. "You don't have any idea what happened to my brother."

My insides were tight. "All I know is that he disappeared—"

Daemon's hand opened and closed at his side, the other dangling the flashlight straight down. "That was a while ago."

"It was last year," I pointed out gently. "Right?"

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Just seems longer than that." He looked away, half of his face coming out of the shadows. "So how did you hear about him?"

I shivered in the chilled air. "Kids were talking about it at school. I was curious why no one ever mentioned him or that girl."

"Should we have?" he asked.

Glancing at him, I tried to gauge his expression but it was too dark. "I don't know. Seems like a pretty big deal that people would talk about."

Daemon started walking again. "It's not something we like to talk about, Kat."

That was understandable, I supposed. I struggled to keep up with him. "I don't mean to pry—"

"You don't?" His voice was tight, movements stiff. "My brother is gone. Some poor girl's family will probably never see their daughter again, and you want to know why no one told you? "

I stiffened at the mention of Bethany, Then bit my lip, feeling like a jerk. "I'm sorry. It's just that everyone is so…secretive. Like, I don't know anything about your family. And Ash hates my guts for no reason. I dumped food on your head yesterday, and I didn't get in trouble. That's plain weird. Dee has a boyfriend she's never mentioned. People stare at Dee like she's either a princess or they're afraid of her. People stare at me. And—"

"You sound like those things have something in common."

I could barely keep up with him. We were moving deeper into the woods, almost near the lake by now. "Do they?"

"Why would they?" His voice was low and taut with frustration. "Maybe you're feeling a little paranoid.

"See, you are doing it now!" I pointed out. "Getting all uptight because I'm asking a question, and Dee does the same thing."

"Do you think maybe it's because we know you've been through a lot and we don't want to add to it?"

"But how can you add to it?"

He slowed in his pace. "I don't know. We can't."

I shook my head as he stopped near the edge of the lake and flipped off the flashlight. In the night, the water gleamed like a shined onyx. A hundred stars reflected off the still surface like the night sky, but less infinite. It seemed as if I could reach out and touch them.

"The day at the lake," Daemon said after a few moments. "There were a few minutes when I was having a good time."

My breath caught hearing that. There were a few minutes that I'd enjoyed it, too. I tucked my hair back. "Before you turned into Aquaman?"

Daemon was quiet, his shoulders unnaturally tense. "Stress will do that, make you think things are happening that aren't."

Yeah right. I knew the truth. But I didn't know why he kept trying to push me away so much. Looking at him, his striking features lit by the pale moonlight, he didn't seem real. The exotic eyes, the curve of his jaw, all of it seemed more defined out here. Daemon stared at the dark sky, a brooding and pensive look to his face.

Several responses lined up, but I pushed them away. Arguing with him in the middle of the woods at night wasn't on the top of my list of things to do. "Why did you want to talk, Daemon?"

He clasped a hand on the back of his neck. "What happened yesterday at lunch is only going to get worse. You can't be friends with Dee, not like the kind of friend you want to be."

A hot flush crawled down my cheeks, spreading over my neck. "Are you serious?"

Daemon lowered his hand. "I'm not saying you have to stop talking to her, but pull it back. You can still be nice to her, talk to her at school, but don't go out of your way. You're only going to make it harder on her and yourself." Every hair on my body rose all at once. "Are you threatening me, Daemon?"

Our eyes locked. His were full of… what? Regret? "No. I'm telling you how it's going to be. We should head back."

"No." I dug in, staring at him. "Why? Why is it so wrong if I'm friends with your sister?"

A second passed, and his jaw tensed. "You shouldn't be out here with me." He drew in a harsh breath, his eyes wide. He took a step forward. A warm breeze kicked up, scattering fallen leaves and tossing my hair back. The gust seemed to come from behind Daemon, almost as if it were fueled by his mounting anger. "You aren't like us. You are nothing like us. Dee deserves better than you, people that are like her. So leave me alone. Leave my family alone." It was a smack in the face, only worse. Out of everything I was expecting him to say, he went for a doozy. I drew in a deep breath, but it hitched in my throat. I took a step back, blinking away the rush of angry tears.

Daemon didn't take his eyes off me. "You wanted to know why. That's why."

I swallowed thickly. "Why…why do you hate me so much?"

For a brief second, the mask cracked and pain contorted his features. It was so quick, I couldn't be sure I'd actually seen it. He didn't answer.

The tears building in my eyes were about to spill down my cheeks. I refused to cry in front of him, to give him that kind of power. "You know what? Screw you, Daemon."

He looked away. "Kat, you can't—"

"Shut up!" I hissed. "Just shut up." I headed around Daemon and started walking. My skin felt hot and cold, my insides burned with fire and ice. I was going to cry. I knew it. That was what that choking feeling was in the back of my throat.

"Kat," Daemon called out. "Please wait up."

I picked up my pace until I was almost running.

"Come on, Kat, don't walk so far ahead. You're going to get lost. At least take the flashlight!"

As if he cared. I wanted to be free of him before I lost it. There was a good chance I'd hit him. Or I'd cry, because whether I liked him or not, what he had said hurt. Like there was something wrong with me.

I stumbled over a few branches and rocks on the ground I couldn't see, but I knew I could find my way back to the road. And I could hear him behind me, his feet snapping twigs as he kept up with me.

Raw hurt opened up in my chest. I stomped ahead, needing to get home, to talk to the twins and somehow convince them that we needed to move, like, tomorrow.

Run away.

My hands curled into fists. Why should I run away? I hadn't done anything wrong! Angry and disgusted with myself, I tripped over a root sticking out of the ground. I nearly fell flat on my face. I grumbled.

"Kat!" Daemon cursed from behind me.

I gained my footing and rushed forward, relieved to see the road up ahead. I nearly broke into a dead run. I could hear his footfalls now, echoing in the distance. I reached the dark road, wiping the back of my hands over my face. Shit. I was crying.

I raced across the street, and followed the path back to my house. Sophie came bursting out the door, running straight into the middle of the road. I could see her tear streaked face, lit up from the twin headlights of of a truck racing toward her, no more than fifty feet away. I screamed as she froze, too shocked to move.

She was going to die.


	20. Exposed

Chapter 20

A loud crack of thunder—only more powerful—reverberated through the valley. It was like a sonic blast that shook me to the very core. There was no time for the driver to see Sophie or stop. I threw up my arms, as if they could somehow protect her. The truck's loud roar filled my ears. I lit up, the brightest i've ever been going full luxen in the middle of the road. Power rushed through me as I brought my hands up to stop the truck.

I didn't hesitate.

Summoning the Source, I shattered every rule of our kind in a nanosecond. For Sophie.

I couldn't continue holding the truck back while in my human form. I knew my eyes were glowing by then, iridescent. I had no choice. Any second now I was going to lose control and the truck would continue its original path and barrel into Sophie. I didn't hesitate in my choice.

The shift happened almost immediately, starting with my veins first. Intense white light filled them and then washed over me, replacing my clothing and human skin. The tremble moved past my arms, over my chest, and down my body. Power rippled out, gliding over to her.

And then I was completely in my true form, lighting up the whole damn road.

Daemon and Sophie were seeing me for what I really was.

Off in the distance, I heard Dee shouting, but I couldn't afford to lose focus. Not until after I got Sophie out of the path of certain death.

She could've kissed the bumper; it was that close. Her head mere inches from the hot grille. Slowly, I put down my arms. The driver sat motionless behind the wheel, eyes wide and empty. He didn't move, didn't blink. I wasn't even sure if he was breathing.

A cup of coffee was in his right hand, frozen halfway to his mouth. Frozen—everything was frozen.

A metallic taste filled the corners of my mouth. I concentrated, my breathing heavy, and my hands clenched tightly at my sides.

"Oh my God…" I whispered, my already-pounding heart faltering for a mere beat.

In the distance I heard Dee, confusion pouring from her voice, calling to us. How had she found us?

Right. I was lighting up the entire street—it was that bright.

I looked back to the truck and saw that not only was it shaking, but the driver was, too. It was trying to break past the invisible barrier that seemed to hold it frozen in time. The metal beast shuddered and the engine screamed, the driver's foot still on the gas pedal.

The burst of energy was so powerful and raw, it heated the air around us. Thunder cracked, reverberating through the valley. And the truck stopped. Everything about the vehicle and inside it simply stopped , suspended in time. The ground shivered under my feet and traveled outward.

Strained, I held the vehicle back, calling on everything inside me. Tiny bursts of light sparked around the truck. The driver was frozen. Time was frozen except for me and Daemon.

My body began to tremble with the effort, and the world took on a whitish tint. I wouldn't be able to hold it back much longer or keep the driver suspended. He would be traced—hard-core traced. His out-of-state tags meant once he was unfrozen, he'd be long gone.

The engine in the truck screamed, trying to push through, and I reached out for even more of the source. As the energy coursed through my form, a ball of intense heat grew in my belly, threatening to burn through me. Our kind could channel energy in the form of light, but even we had limits.

Just when I thought I was surely going to lose control, Sophie came unstuck. She spun around and took off. I pulled the Source back and it slammed into me, knocking me back a step as the truck roared past and sapping the last of my energy. The street was empty except for Daemon, who was still standing behind me, mouth gaping.

Crap.


	21. A Small Explanation

Chapter 21

I turned away from Daemon. I would have to deal with him later; for now, I had to focus on Sophie. I sprinted up the drive where I had last seen her. I had to… God, I didn't even know what I was going to do. Thinking was pointless now, especially since I hadn't actually thought about what I was doing from the moment she stepped one foot onto the road. I ran after her. Halfway up the driveway, Dee appeared, but I dodged her and kept running, right into the woods.

"Stay back," Daemon shouted at Dee.

"But—"

"I mean it, Dee. Stay back!"

She must have seen the severity of the situation. She backed off with a look of horror on her face. What happened tonight was what I'd been hoping to prevent this whole time.

Branches smacked at me and snagged my shirt as I raced after Sophie. Spying her up ahead, I called out, but she didn't stop, and I wasn't going to chase after her all night. I dropped the human speed BS and within a heartbeat, I was on her.

I caught her from behind, my arms around her waist. We went down in a tangle of limbs. I twisted before we hit the ground, absorbing the brunt of the fall to make sure she was unharmed. I rolled, pinning her down in the mossy grass under me.

She went crazy. I didn't really blame her. She had no clue where her parents were, and she just saw her cousin turn into an alien, but I had to get her to calm down.

She slammed her tiny hands against me and pushed. "Get off!"

I held her shoulders, forcing her back gently before she hurt herself. "Stop Sophie!"

"Get away from me!" she screamed, wiggling and trying to use her arms to throw me off.

"Sophie, it's okay! I'm not going to hurt you!"

Her wild gaze connected with mine, and she stilled underneath me, only her chest rising and falling erratically. Neither of us moved for what felt like an eternity. Panic filled her gaze, mingling with unshed tears.

"I won't hurt you. I could never hurt you," I repeated, speaking softly.

She wasn't thrashing anymore. She was staring at me with those wide, innocent eyes. Some of the panic eased off, but she was still frightened. Her body trembled as she looked away, pressing her cheek to the grass as she squeezed her eyes shut.

What was I going to do?

I couldn't let her tell the world about us. She was too young for this, but there was only one option at this point. I had to tell her about our kind and somehow convince her to keep quiet. I had no idea how I'd tell her about her own sister though.

Slowly, so I didn't startle her, I got up and placed my hand in hers, lifting her up to her feet. I I didn't know if I could make her understand, but I had to try.

Her chest rose sharply, and then her lashes swept up. Her gaze tracked over my face, and I knew she was trying to reconcile what she saw now versus what she'd seen by the side of the road. The pale moonlight broke through the trees, gliding over her face.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I tried again. "I want to talk to you. I need you to try and not freak out, do you understand?"

She nodded.

I watched as Daemon came in behind her, not saying a word. He stood a few feet away as I closed my eyes, letting out a sigh. Weariness invaded me. I knew that he wanted an explanation, but right now I had to deal with Sophie, not to mention the fact that just a few minutes ago, he nearly made me cry.

"Please promise me you won't run. I don't feel like chasing you anymore right now. That last little trick nearly wiped me out," I said to Sophie. I opened my eyes to find Daemon watching me closely.

"I promise," Sophie whispered hoarsely.

"Good," I sighed again. "If only you didn't walk in front of the truck, then everything would still be fine, but, you did, and I'm sorry that I am freaking you out. I need you to be patient, and listen to me though, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered once more, calming down a little bit. She pressed a shaking hand to her forehead. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"I know you didn't, and I'm sorry sweetheart." I sank down to the ground, pulling her into my lap.

"I'm different. I think you know that now," I spoke softly, looking Daemon in the eye as I spoke.

I turned her around in my lap so that she was facing me. She placed her forehead against mine for a moment and seemed to collect herself. She lifted her head. "Why did you glow?"

Smiling ruefully, I rubbed my palm along my temple and looked down. "That is hard to explain."

"I'm going to tell you a story. Okay?" I asked. I decided that I would try and explain it how my mom had explained it to me.

Sophie nodded.

"All of this is going to sound crazy to you, but try to remember what you saw." I waited for that to sink in. "Once upon a time, there was a planet. The planet was far, far, away. There is no telescope or space shuttle powerful enough to travel to it. There were aliens that lived on the planet," I paused, looking over at Daemon. "The planet no longer exists though. It was destroyed a long time ago. The aliens had to leave to find a new planet that they could live on."

I waited for a moment, and wondered if Sophie could handle all of this. It seemed like she was okay, but I knew that she could always freak out later.

"My dad was one of those aliens. He came here a while ago, with others. But many came before him too. Are you following me?"

"Yeah... so then what happened?" she asked, crinkling her nose in thought.

"My mom wasn't an alien, she was completely human- like you. She met my dad, and they got married. A little while after, my mom got really hurt. She almost died, but my dad saved her. When he saved her, he made her part alien. Now, I am an alien too."

"But you don't look like an alien," she said, no longer looking afraid. I was grateful because I wouldn't be able to stand it if she was afraid of me.

"I'm not like an alien that you read about or see in movies," I explained. "I'll tell you more tomorrow, but you need to get to bed."

"Okay," she yawned.

"Come on," I laughed, swinging her up so that she was on my back. Looking up, I realized that Daemon had left, and sighed. I was going to have to go over and explain to them about everything, and I was not looking forward to it. I just hope that I can still be friends with Dee after she finds out what I am. I carried Sophie back to the house with her on my back, thinking about how I was supposed to tell them and wondering if I should even tell them everything. After all, it wasn't any of their business what I was. Then again, I did owe them an explanation after what happened. Sighing, I decided I would figure this out in the morning instead of stressing about it right now.

My mind made up, I carried Sophie into her room and tucked her into her bed. After saying goodnight and promising to make breakfast the next morning, I walked to my own room and took a look at my injuries. I had completely forgotten about them when Sophie stepped in front of the truck, but now they were hurting more than ever.

My back had thankfully healed for the most part, but my torn ACL could not be worse. I'm pretty sure that if Amy were here right now, she would be screaming at me for being so stupid- not that I blamed her. This was all my fault.

My wrist was also hurting, but not as bad as my knee.

Choosing to actually be reasonable for once, I decided that I would stay home tomorrow. It would be a good opportunity to explain more to Sophie, and to get some rest. I might even start training again. Based on recent events, I could definitely use it. It shouldn't have taken so much out of me to freeze the truck... or to fight an arum.

I would definitely need to get my knee looked at though. I was stronger than most luxen, and had a few added powers, but healing was not my strong suit. The only problem was that if I went to any doctor, they would probably realize that there was something different about me, which would just cause more problems.

This would be so much easier if another luxen could just heal me, but of course, that could not happen. I tensed as another jolt of pain went up my leg; maybe I would go to the doctor tomorrow. I made my way to my bed after checking in on the twins quickly. Seeing them fast asleep, I decided to do the same.

Maybe tomorrow would be a better day.

 **Hey guys! I know that it's been forever since I've updated, and I know how frustrating it can be when somebody doesn't update for a while, so I am very sorry. For those of you that aren't given up on me yet, thank you so much! I took a short break, but I'm back now. I really hope that you guys like this chapter! I'm open to all critiques, so if there is anything you want to be fixed, just let me know. Also, a big thank you to all of you who have reviewed, I really appreciate it!**


	22. The Truth Comes Out

Chapter 22

My eyelids felt abnormally heavy as I struggled to open them. Blinking once or twice, I managed to open my eyes long enough to be blinded by the light and close them again. Where was I? I knew that I wasn't in my bed. I struggled once more to open my eyes, this time more prepared for the light. I sat up slowly, groaning. My back was so tight, I could barely move. What had happened? I let my eyes focus on my surroundings. Once I could actually see, I looked around. I was sitting on a couch in a house I didn't recognize. Fucking perfect. Having no clue what else to do, I decided to actually get up instead of just sitting on the couch wondering where the hell I was.

I walked into the next room, which turned out to be a kitchen. Thank god, because I was starving. Walking forward, I suddenly felt very weak. I lurched forward to grab the edge of the counter, letting out a whimper at the sudden movement. Why was I so weak? I carefully made my way to the fridge, stopping every time I felt like I was going to faint. I had grabbed a water, and was making my way back to the couch in the other room when I heard faint voices. Too weak and mentally exhausted to investigate, I continued towards the couch, nearly collapsing when I reached it.

*** Timeskip to later ***

I blinked, letting my eyes adjust to the light once more. I hadn't meant to fall asleep again, but I guess I was just that exhausted. Groaning, I began the horrible process of trying to sit up. I looked around the room again, jumping when I saw somebody sitting on the other end of the couch.

"Daemon?" I questioned, not really trusting my vision

"That is my name," he said dryly, "You look like crap."

"Gee, thanks. Just what every girl wants to hear." He chuckled a little at my response, sending a tingle down my spine.

"Do you mind telling me where the hell I am?" I asked, not all too politely.

"You're at my house," he responded, "Do you remember what happened?"

"No... should I?" Before he got a chance to respond, Dee bounced into the room, as energetic as ever.

"Daemon, do you- oh Katy, you're awake! I checked on you earlier, and saw that you had gotten up to get a water. Are you feeling okay?" She spoke so quickly, it took me a second to actually form a response."

"I'm alright- I think. Where are Ashley and Lily?" I had forgotten all about them when I had woken up the first time, but now I was concerned.

"Oh, they are fine! We just got back from the park, and they were exhausted, so I told them to take a nap upstairs."

"Back from the park? How long was I out for?" Dee exchanged glances with Daemon before hesitantly giving the answer.

"About a week, give or take."

"A week! What happened to me? Have you taken them to school at all?"

"Katy, calm down! Yes, I have taken them to school, and fed them, and everything!"

"Okay..." I took a deep breath, releasing the air out slowly.

"Can you explain what happened to me?" Dee exchanged glances with Daemon once more before replying.

"That's the thing Katy, I really can't. Daemon and I were asleep, when I heard a knock at the door. I opened it, and Ashley and Sophie were standing there crying. I asked them what was wrong, and they said that you wouldn't wake up, that you were kicking and screaming, but they couldn't get you to wake up. I told them to go upstairs, wake up Daemon, and tell him what happened, while I went over to see if I could wake you. I tried, but nothing worked. Daemon came over too, and eventually you just stopped, but you still didn't wake up. It was like you were unconscious. We brought you over here, and told Ashley and Sophie they could stay here until you woke up."

"Wow, that's... a lot." What could have possibly happened they made me do that?

"Yeah," Dee replied softly, "It was almost like you were dead for awhile, except that you were still breathing."

"Dead," I repeated. There was something about what she said that reminded me of something, but I couldn't remember what it was. I tried to think back and see if this had ever happened before. I didn't think so. And then.. I panicked.

"Dee," I spoke slowly, and firmly, "When did Bethany go missing?"

"Bethany?" Dee was surprised at the question, but also saddened, "What does she have to do with this?"

"Just... please answer me, and I'll explain everything; I promise."

"Why should we believe you?" Daemon butted into the conversation. I had almost forgotten he was there until he spoke.

"I promise, just please. I need to know this," I begged.

"A little less than a year ago," Dee whispered.

I shot up straight, "Oh goddammit to fucking hell..." Dee glared at me, and I decided to stop.

"Sorry, That was just... surprising."

"Are you going to explain now?" asked Dee. Shit. I knew I had to explain, but things just got ten times worse than before, and I as about seconds away from either crying or freaking out. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself, I debated what to do. At this point, I really did owe them both an explanation, especially because just seconds ago, I had promised them one. Sighing, I settled back into the couch.

"It's a really long story, are you sure you want to hear this right now?"

"We're sure," Daemon said, almost angrily.

"Okay... I guess I'll start from the beginning. When two luxen... reproduce... they have three kids that are all completely luxen-"

"We know this already," Daemon started, obviously not thinking that I was actually serious about this.

"Daemon! Just let her talk," Dee reprimanded. I smiled at her softly.

"Thanks Dee. Anyway, a human and a luxen can also reproduce together. Sometimes humans become bonded to a luxen when the luxen heals them from the brink of death. This rarely happens, but sometimes it does, when a luxen falls in love with a human. After they are bonded, the human becomes a hybrid. Basically the human will start getting luxen powers, often becoming stronger than the luxen. Unfortunately, when a human and a luxen are bonded together, their hearts are too. As in, if one of them dies, they both die. If one of them gets shot, the other one will feel it, and so on. Anyway, when a human and a luxen... reproduce together, they give birth to something called an origin. Origins are completely lethal. They can read minds, control minds, use telekinesis, and a ton of other stuff. For this reason the DOD usually tries to kidnap them, and experiment on them. They've never seen anything like it." I paused for a second, letting them process this new information.

"That's horrible," Dee said, "I can't believe they would experiment on little kids!"

"Yeah, well they do, trust me. But back to the story; my dad was a complete luxen, but my mom was human. They became bonded together after my dad saved my mom's life. They loved eachother so much. Eventually, they gave birth to me and my two sisters. We were triplets. About eight months before my parents died, my sister went missing. She was the one that looked exactly like me." I stopped once again, swallowing to keep from crying.

"My dad got attacked by eight arum at once, so he died, causing my mom to die too. We lived in Florida at the time, and my sister that had gone missing still hadn't been found. Me and my other sister lived in Florida for another couple of years before she decided to leave because she couldn't stand living in the same place that Mom and Dad had died. She never told me where she went, but I never asked. She would call me every week to talk. The calls stopped about a year ago, and her name was Bethany."

"I'm so sorry, I never would have thought..." Dee seemed too choked up to continue. Instead of replying, I looked over at Daemon. He had a strange expression on his face. A mix between regret, sadness, and maybe concern? His emotions flickered across his face too quickly for me to tell.

"It's okay Dee."

"No, it's not. It's awful."

"I know... do you want me to continue?" Dee nodded her head.

"Okay. So, you know how I told you when a human and a bonded luxen reproduce, they have origins? Well, me and my sisters aren't origins. There must have already been some luxen in my mom's DNA or something- I'm not really sure. I was actually the only one born with luxen powers. Lily and Bethany both seemed to be completely human. The same thing happened with Ashley and Sophie, actually. They had a brother, but he died in childbirth. Ashley has powers, but Sophie doesn't. Nobody knows why it happened. As far as I know, this has never happened to anybody else. The reason I take care of Sophie and Ashley right now, are because some arum kidnapped them. Trust me, I know that they didn't kill them. When my parents died, it felt like an actual part of me died too. I could actually feel the pain. Not as bad as my mother, I assume, but it was pretty awful. Ashley and Sophie never felt it, so they couldn't have died. That's what I think happened this week. I think that either Lily or Bethany must have been tortured or something else, that I don't really want to think about. There was one time when we were all really young, and Lily almost died. Without even realizing it, she healed herself by taking it from me. I collapsed that day and slept for a week. Bethany also felt it, but she didn't collapse. She was just in a lot of pain and felt really weak. I think...I think that one of them must have been really close to dying if what you said is true."

"So Bethany isn't... dead?" Dee asked so softly, it was like she was afraid to hear the answer.

"No. And since she isn't dead, that must mean your brother Dawson isn't dead either. Awhile ago, I felt something weird happen. I think that Dawson must have bonded with Bethany, so he must be alive too." I wonder why I hadn't made this connection earlier. It was so obvious, now that I actually thought about it.

"So what do we do now?" Dee questioned, and for once I didn't have an answer.

"I don't know."


End file.
